Increase our Faith: God has a plan for you

It has recently been made clear to me all over again that God is at work among His people. As Mr. Beaver might say, "Aslan is on the move." You can feel it in the warming wind. See it in the greening wood.

Imagine it being always winter and never Christmas.

Well, that is not too hard to imagine for some folks. For example- orphans in Ukrainian orphanages. They can imagine always winter never Christmas. Or, North American Christians...our hearts are heavy and stiff with the cold of spiritual stagnation...always winter never Christmas.

Even Christmas isn't really Christmas in our souls. Every year we long for more...we try to create magical holiday things to fill our longing. But all we really end up doing is spending a lot of money and energy without the true joy of Christmas dawning in our souls. We end up with lots of clean up and garbage and maybe some extra fat from all the treats and goodies. But in the end it was winter and never Christmas.

But like I said, I have seen that Jesus is on the move. That means that we can expect to have Christmas this winter! We can expect to hear the sleigh bells of Father Christmas in our hearts. We can anticipate the joy of the Gift we will receive. I can assure you it will be just what you've always wanted, always needed. It will be just what you need to get you through this adventure of your life.

But, like the children in Narnia, we have to trust the message that Christ is really on the move. We have to obey Him and take some risks in order to find Him. We have to follow a talking beaver we just met (hearing the Holy Spirit and following His direction can be a lot like following a talking beaver- you keep wondering if this is really real and if it is wise to take advice from such a person). We must resolve to not be distracted by luxuries and lulled to indifference and ultimately disobedience.

Our family heard from the Holy Spirit in October 2011.  I clearly heard that Christ was coming this Christmas if we would open our hearts and home to an orphan from Latvia. We were about as confident as the Pevensie's, we truly felt like children in a strange land following a talking beaver. But the reward was amazing. Christ came at Christmas! Christmas morning dawned in our hearts that winter. Now we know what it's like and we can't get enough of following the Holy Spirit any direction He takes us, because whenever we do, we see Christ. The real Christ, bringing spring to a winter landscape. Thawing our hearts of stone and giving us hearts of flesh.

And then, over the last few years, I have watched the Holy Spirit speak clearly to people who have not heard so clearly up to this point. People who are called by His name who were nonetheless stuck in winter with no Christmas. And it all comes from hosting orphans. I have seen God do BIG THINGS with folks as soon as they start to follow the iffy directions of the Holy Spirit. Did I really hear that? Was it really from God? Is this really the best way to spend my hard earned money? Is this really good stewardship? Is this going to harm my family? Those doubts and more plague every one of us who have followed the lead of the Holy Spirit. But the reward is Christmas in your soul. That lasts all year, even longer!

That's why I want to write this post. I want to somehow let you know that YOUR SOUL stands to gain or lose a lot, based on your willingness to listen for and follow the call of Christ in your life. And I just have so many AMAZING God moments and Jesus magic to share that all revolve around hosting orphans. Obviously, there are lots of ways to hear and follow God's Big Plan for your life, but hosting is way that I have seen with my own eyes the way God works in the hearts of those who say yes.

I've got names and numbers of lots of folks who have said yes to hosting and now know Jesus as well as if they had met Him in the woods and walked miles by His side.

I will tell you those stories, or let them tell you through guest posts so that you can get the idea.
If your heart longs for Christmas, truly joy-filled and lasting, listen closely to their stories and listen carefully for the Holy Spirit to guide you into a magical land....where Christmas comes and warms the heart like springtime.

The Worthington Family! October 10, 2014: Increase our Faith: Hosting O

 

The Synborski Family!October 13, 2014: Increase our Faith: Hosting Reno

The Dawson Family! October 15, 2014: Increase our Faith: Hosting Boys

The Burkhardt Family! October 21, 2014: Increase our Faith: Hosting Zi


(picture soon)
The Riedl Family! October 23, 2014: Increase our Faith: Hosting? Who?

Jennie Allen sums it up in three lines:

"The only exercise that works 100 percent of the time to draw one close to the real God is risk...
...To risk is to willingly place your life in the hand of an unseen God and an unknown future, then to watch him come through. He starts to get real when you live like that.” -Jennie Allen, Anything

That's what hosting an orphan does- it willingly places your life in God's hand.

It's like when I was trying to describe to some folks about getting more Holy Spirit in your life. Well, this is a loose analogy, so don't analyze it too closely, but your life is like a car. And you have a choice. You can let it sit in the driveway, or you can start driving down the road. The Holy Spirit is the gas. If you just have your car sit in the driveway, God will give you enough gas for that. And you'll look at the gas gauge and say, "well, I can't go anywhere anyway, I hardly have enough gas to make it out of the driveway." But, if you are willing to maybe drive around the block, you find that there is always enough gas to get you where you are supposed to go.

Hosting an orphan is a drive around the block. It shows you how God supplies all your needs. It shows you how real the Holy Spirit is, how real God is. Like what Jennie Allen said in three lines.

XO

#'s 10 and 12 from left are kiddos who changed my life...and whose lives have been changed. Talk about setting the lonely in families...Yeah. Hard to be lonely with Joe's family. :)

Forever family is a gift only God can give.

Increase our Faith: Hosting? Who?

Today's post is from Kara over at Just Simply Live. This story is far from over and has changed even from when this written. I will request that Juliane and Kara keep writing to keep us updated on their journey with hearing God and hosting. Let's just say, the road is rocky and therefore I'm pretty excited to see what God is up to.
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I am not a patient person...

NOT.AT.ALL!

Psalms 37:7 says, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him (Jesus)".

Apparently God wanted to teach me a little lesson in patience and grow my faith muscles.  All while being still.  WOW....

I have this thing called, "bleeding heart syndrome".   I'm sure others suffer from this as well but basically I HATE any injustice.  My soul bleeds for children particularly that don't feel or know what love is due to life circumstances.  My heart cries out for orphans.  My mind is blown away by the children who are sold into slavery right in front of our faces.  Even as I write this, I feel that little blazing fire within me getting fueled to run out and stop it.  To bring EACH AND EVERY orphan into my home.  To love EACH AND EVERY child who is hurting.  To END child slavery as a whole. 

That being said, I married a practical man. A man who first of all loves Jesus but knows that it is just not practical to have 1,000,000 children living in our home.  Lets say he "balances" me.  He doesn't like any of the above situations either but knows that God has given me a mission right now to love and disciple the four children he gave to me.

Then came along a friend with a passion for orphans in other countries.  New Horizons for Children is an organization that places children from overseas orphanages into homes during the Christmas and summer seasons.  During these times, the orphanages "shut down" and the kids are left to celebrate (or not) Christmas on their own.  Like...NO ONE is loving them?   NO ONE buys them presents?  NO ONE cooks a yummy meal for them?  UMMMMMMM NO!

So this lovely friend decided she should host.  Then another lovely friend decided to host.  Then another.  So of course I should host.  Right?  Aren't we called to take care of orphans?  Isn't this a huge example of injustice?  But Zach...ummmmm not sure how he would like that idea.  Well, I guess I should pray.

Then one day I was completely blindsided.  I sat down on my computer to check facebook and what would you know.  There she was.  MY GIRL!  Let me say I was not thinking of hosting at all this holiday season and I knew that Zach wouldn't be on bored with it but I felt and overwhelming pull towards this girl.  I immediately sat down with God and prayed!

 An excerpt from my journal that day:

10/1/14

There are so many kids wihtout moms and dads.  My heart grieves for them.  What do I do with this grief?  I want to host and orphan ("o") this Christmas but I'm not sure it's your will.  You command us to care for the orphans and widows.  Please, PLEASE change Zach's heart.  Help him let this child into our home.  Please Lord.  "O" needs you!

She consumed me for the next 24 hours.  My heart bled like it never had bled for a girl I had never met.  I could see her sitting in my living room.  I could smell her sweet head.  I could imagine snuggling with her, reading a book.  I WAS SURE she was suppose to be here.  God laid this girl on my heart.  He told me to pray for her.  Why shouldn't she be here?

Zach and I talked about it and prayed more than ever about "O".  My heart didn't waver at all.  Zach's didn't either.  He wasn't hearing what I was hearing.  He was hearing, "no, she isn't for us.".  WHAT?????  I begged and pleaded with God.  My core group of friends were all praying that Zach's heart would be changed.  I called NHFC and found out more information about "O".  There was no way she wasn't meant to be here!

The next few days my journal opened with this:

10/2/14

I'm so confused Lord.  Which way are you leading me?  

10/3/14

I am worn and confused Lord.  I was so sure I heard your voice and went out on a limb only to get burned.  My heart breaks.  

I cried out to God.  He answered me with these verses.  "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him".  1 Corinthians 2:9.  "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14.

As I sat in my living room pondering these verses, I felt I NEEDED to talk with my friend Juliane about the whole thing.  Why wasn't Zach hearing what I was hearing?  Why was God saying, "Be Still" when this was obviously not a time to wait?  I called her, heartsick over "O".  As I retold the whole story she told me to go outside, take a deep breath and know that I obeyed God.  He was going to do all the work, I just need to "chill out" and relax.  What happened next was what one of my friends would call a #MJM (Magical Jesus Moment)...

I said "O's" name...

Immediately a light bulb went on in Juliane's head.  "She is for me". 

Wait...what??

Juliane went on to describe a vivid dream she had 2 years ago about a girl named, "O" who lived in an Eastern European country.  She asked me to send her the picture.  I did and the rest is history.  

God WAS talking to me.  I WAS listening. The little girl who my heart grieved for WAS going to come here.  I WAS going to see her sitting on my couch.  I WAS going to smell her sweet head.  Not sure about the snuggling part but its possible.  My husband WAS hearing God saying she wasn't for us.  I WASN'T going crazy.  

Juliane immediately talked with her husband and they went forward.  "O" will be here this Christmas.  

My lesson from this was that I am not in control.  God may put things on my heart but it's not up to me to decided what to do with them and when they should happen.  As Juliane said, "Take a deep breath and know you obeyed God"!   I look forward to hearing God more as I learn to fine tune my hearing.  

Patience...Patience....Patience.  

I'm excited to see what God has in store for us ;)

PS. You can read all about the Worthington's journal to get "O" home here!

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Increase our Faith: Hosting Zi

Thank you to the Burkhardt family for sharing their story! Just in case any of you are wondering about the connection here, my family had the joy of hosting Zi this summer. God is good, and sets the lonely in families, sometimes not the host family!
(Joce)
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In the beginning of Luke 5, Jesus uses some fishermen in an unexpected way. He preaches from a fisherman’s boat, then tells him to launch out into the deep to catch some fish. The fisherman was no rookie; he was seasoned and knew fish. Furthermore, he had just been fishing all night and knew there were no fish in there. He began to argue with Jesus, but then made the profound statement, Nevertheless, at Thy Word, I will. Jesus blessed his obedience and filled his nets to bursting. I have heard Jesus through this telling me that same thing: Launch out into the deep. I have questioned His request. In fact, others have too.

“You’re adopting.” They say. “Doesn’t that cost a lot of money?” Nevertheless, at Thy Word, I will.

Says another, “We don’t think we should give to just one child as a ministry.” Nevertheless, at Thy Word, I will.

“What about the language barrier?” Nevertheless, at Thy Word, I will.

“Aren’t you a little afraid to bring someone that old into your home?” Nevertheless, at Thy Word, I will.

“What if he brings a disease into your home?” Nevertheless, at Thy Word, I will.

Many of these have been questions we have had to answer. We have to be honest and admit we have had our share of fears throughout this journey. But faith and obedience go hand in hand. God said to launch out into the deep.

We ask, “How deep, Lord? Aren’t we already giving and doing enough?”

He answers, “It’s not about you; it’s about showing you what I can do.” We obey, fearful but excited, scared of the unknown. He opens the windows of heaven and showers down everything we need.

Last winter, I met Jocelyn at a friend’s house. My husband and I had been discussing hosting. Through conversation, I found out Jocelyn had hosted and adopted, so I began asking questions. Winter and spring came and went, and the topic of adoption was still on our hearts. We didn’t know where to begin, so I decided to get ahold of Jocelyn and ask which home study agency they used. Through our messages, she discovered our desire to adopt and mentioned Zi.

Our idea of adoption was a young 2- to 3-year-old boy from the Philippines with minor special needs. I even stated to a friend, “We don’t mind a special needs child, but not one with something like cerebral palsy.”

Jocelyn asked if we’d like to meet Zi; she told us he was eight years old, from China, and had mild cerebral palsy. My immediate thought was, OK, Lord, this was not what we had in mind. Being able to meet Zi was of the Lord, especially for our ten-year-old son, who was very apprehensive. After that day, my husband said, “Let’s take the next step.”

We contacted CCAI and started launching into the deep. We found out another family had pulled his file; I was fearful. We waited all day to hear from the agency to see if they were interested in Zi; meanwhile, I prayed. I poured my fears to him, and when I was done, I submitted and said, Nevertheless, at Thy Word, I will. I have never looked back. Just as the fisherman said those words in Luke 5:5 he let down his nets and, “they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net break.” The Lord has provided every payment, has allowed every document to be on time, provided us with the right home study agency, and the material things that we needed for when Zi gets here all for free. We have been shown over and over what HE can do when you have faith and obey. Has it been a sacrifice? Yes! Have we experienced resistance from unexpected places? Yes! Have we and our children had to give concessions so that we could move forward with the adoption? Yes! But eclipsing all the doubts, fears, obstacles and resistance is the attitude that the Lord impressed on us: Nevertheless, at Thy Word, I will.
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I, Jocelyn, like to add a fundraising link for each of these families who are still in fundraising stages...these families have not requested that I do this, I go find the information on my own and add it in here...I do it in case any of you readers are so moved by these stories that you want to participate. 
You know- Give This Christmas Away! :)

Fund the Burkhardt Family adoption of Hudson

XO
Joce

To read more Increase Our Faith stories, please go here.

Increase our Faith: Hosting Boys

From our special guests, the Dawson Family!
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Living Like I Believe

Do you ever feel tired of living this safe, saved, American dream life? Where you have your people, and your home, and your routines, and God is there. It all fits in a neat little box that you can somewhat control and predict. For the most part, it is fulfilling, and happy. It’s hard work, but it’s good. But there’s just something missing. Something that is inside you that longs for more. Not in an “I’m not content with my life” sort of way, but in a “God…I know there’s more” sort of way.

That was me. I love my life. I love my Jesus. I love my husband. I adore my children. I like my house. I love my life. It’s hard work, but it’s good. But you know what? I realized that I have been living very safe. I am not downplaying the importance of being a wife, a mother, a home manager, and EVERYTHING that goes along with those jobs. They are important. As moms, we are called to make disciples at home. We are called to respect and serve and love our husbands. We are called to discipline our children. We are called to be busy at home, holding down the fort, so to speak, so that our home is a haven for our man and our kids. We have a BIG job. But you know what? We also have a BIG God. And He doesn’t want us to live safe lives in our white fences. He wants us to live like we believe in Him. Like we believe He can provide. Believe He can carry us. Believe that he will give us wisdom, if we would only ask, and BELIEVE.

That’s when I called about hosting a little girl through New Horizons. That’s when I explained to the sweet woman on the phone that we were adoption minded. And that’s when she told me about these two.

These two sweet boys. She said “I think they would be the perfect fit for your family. But if you were adoption minded, you’d be adopting four. They have a little brother and a little sister as well.” And so she told me their story, and I cried. I hadn’t even seen their faces yet, and I felt God. I felt Him changing my mind. You see…we only wanted to host one little girl. Not two. Not boys. Adoption minded… yes. Adoption minded…meaning we would love to adopt ONE child. Not FOUR!!! But I told her I would talk to my husband, and that I would call her back soon to let her know. I hung up the phone and looked them up, and I just cried a little bit more.

Needless to say, Russ said yes. We pray for them all the time. We literally love them already. We talk about everything from the challenges, to the good stuff, like how we sure hope they like Lincoln logs. And Ava, our sweet Ava, she talks about them like she’s known them her whole life. The other day she yelled at the cat for sleeping on “K”’s bed.

Not everyone gets it. Heck, I’m just starting to wrap my brain around everything. But I know I want to live like I believe in my very BIG God. Believe that he can provide. Believe that he can give us strength to do this. Believe that he will protect our family. Believe that he will help us help these kids.

 

People say things like … its just such a hard time of year, with Christmas coming, to ask people to give. And to that I say I want my kids to learn that people matter more than presents. They will learn, first and foremost, by what they see. But aren’t you worried you wont be able to give your kids the Christmas you want because you’re spending all of this money? After I just shake my head in disbelief that someone actually would say that out loud, I respond the same response. People matter for eternity. Kids matter for eternity. THESE LITTLE BOYS MATTER FOR ETERNITY. Toys don’t. Plus, I asked Ava if she would rather have a toy or a couple big brothers to play with for Christmas, and she said big brothers.

Christmas is truly a magical time of year, full of Jesus, family, traditions, lights, music, cookies, food, and footie pajamas. I love Christmas. I cannot wait to share Christmas with these boys. Because we believe they matter. Their souls matter. And we believe that God… He’s got us in His hand. I bet He’s happy that we’re doing this.

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If you'd like to help the Dawson family host these boys this Christmas, please click here!

If you are inspired by these stories of hosting so far, and you want a chance to stretch your faith, I have an idea! I had this idea in the middle of the night, so if it seems weird, that's why. I would like to suggest a "sponsor a day" donation. The total hosting fees to New Horizons are going to be $5,800.00 (that doesn't include a lot costs, like airfare and stuff, but it's a starting point). If we divided that by 30 days, it comes out to $193.33! Considering we Americans are planning on spending an average of $800.00 per family on unneeded gifts that are junk by July, I'd like to ask that you consider sponsoring a day for 'D' and 'K' to have a family this Christmas! Let it be your first gift of Christmas!
XO Joce

Increase Our Faith: Hosting Reno

Guest Post from Danielle, over at Rich in Love:

Honestly, when I think about the past 3 months, maybe even longer than that my head spins. We have been busy. Four children is nothing to shake a stick at, especially four vibrant, intense and passionate children. For the gift that is each of them, we are so very grateful. However, sometimes I really have to make the choice to practice feeling that way. Like, when someone is in a hurry and spills a whole bowl of soup on the dining room floor that I have finally finishing mopping, literally ten minutes prior, after three weeks of accepting that Sandy the dog’s “spot cleaning” will have to do. I am so grateful for our time together. Yes, perhaps the loudest family in Cazenovia. But usually that loud is from laughter, from intense children with so much to share that they can’t contain it. It is so full of life around here; this home is just bursting at the seams.

About two years ago, my husband and I learned about orphan hosting from a friend’s Facebook wall. We both thought it was a cool idea, but just automatically wrote it off as one that we would consider more seriously when we were older, when our kids were older (they were 6, 4 and almost 2) and when we had a bigger house to host in. By that time we would surely have more financial means too. This is the time in our lives when we began to see firsthand how often God's plans for you are not even remotely close to what yours are.

After dismissing this hosting idea as a current plan, I had a dream about a young boy and it was a simple dream. (I have since learned that God uses a “still small voice” in my dreams, to speak very clearly to me to this day.) He was with our family, it was Christmas and he was sharing a bedroom with our then oldest son. I woke up and thought, “of course, he would sleep in there. Look at that, there IS enough room in this house.” In fact, reflecting on it now, with four kids living in our home comfortably, I can’t believe it was so hard to imagine at first. My husband and I talked again about this whole hosting idea and I shared that I felt this incredible weight, and that we needed to say yes to this. Our relationship is strong; we are committed to these types of things in each other. He saw that it was important to me so we began looking more seriously at the photo listing with the hosting agency. We noticed that many of them had scholarships, something that made the cost of this calling seem much more affordable. We also had an idea that we were looking for a teenage boy and then we found our boy, our now oldest son.

What was most noticeable was that he had a scholarship for over $1700, more than half of his hosting fees. Again, that “still small voice” made it very clear where the deposit to start the process was and there was a sudden awareness that we could fundraise. We could ask for others to step out in faith with us, to show their love in prayer and if they were moved to, to make a donation. We met our son on December 17^th, 2012 and our lives will truly never ever be the same. Ever.

Over the almost two year adoption process we came to know Jesus. We began to learn that there is so much more to this life than just knowing who Jesus is and how much He loves us. Our hearts were stretched and opened to something amazing. Not only to loving an orphan child and seeing that he was our own and our family was his own, but that nothing is too hard for God. He is all powerful and He does have a plan and He does work for the good of all. We learned what it meant to “wait on God” and to “find rest in Him.” We saw Him fill us with ideas and words to ask humbly for donations, and within almost an 18 month period raise over forty thousand dollars for our son’s adoption. We saw our story of an “impossible adoption because of an age-gap law” move through our family and friends and their families and friends and pretty quickly it was moving across the country and the world. God was using our little family’s mission to ripple across His creation to change the hearts of many! What a gift to us. I still can’t grasp what it all means, that this is our family’s story. I am humbled.

However, as I write this, I keep thinking of what it is that I am most grateful for throughout it all. I am brought to my knees with such gratitude for the way God has shown me how to depend on Him. How only He can love wholly, only He can give me rest in times of great uncertainty or exhausting trial. How He never ever leaves us and although sometimes we don’t hear His voice He is always there, His plan is still in motion and it is a good plan. How I cannot be a parent of these children He chose for me (and me for them) without His constant guidance and wisdom. I cannot do this life alone. I need Him.

As a very special and very wise friend has said to me, many times, “Thank God for God.”

We are SO thankful.

We are a family that has been blessed by the gift of adoption.

Increase our Faith: Hosting O

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Dear Friends and family, I wish that I could sit down with each one of you over a cup of tea and tell you this amazing story. But we are separated by distance and time! So thank you for reading this, and sharing in our life. Last week one of my best friend’s, Kara called me heartsick for a little girl she had seen on the New Horizons for Children Facebook page. For those of you who are unfamiliar with New Horizons, they are a Christian organization who facilitates hosting orphans from Eastern Europe and China during the Christmas and summer holidays. Over these holidays the orphanages close down and the children are sent to foster homes and other camps within Europe and the United States. The children who are hosted in the US are introduced to life outside of the orphanage and families who could potentially adopt them or support them in someway in their future. So this one little girl had captured my friend Kara’s heart and she was calling because despite the immense love and pull from God towards this child, her husband and her had decided it was not the right thing for them to host her this Christmas. As we talked about the beauty there is just in hearing God’s voice and feeling that Spirit led love that can come from no other, I asked her what the little girl’s name was so I could join her in praying for a host family for her. When she told me that her name was O immediately my heart skipped a beat. Two years ago I had woken from a very vivid dream about a girl named O, who was about 8 or 9 years old from the Ukraine that would be a part of our family. I felt so strongly that this was God speaking to me that I searched every adoption page for a girl that matched that description. I found no child that even came close, so I let it go and gave it back to God. I shared the dream with Kara while we were on the phone and asked her to send me a picture of O. When we were done talking I looked at the picture in disbelief—she looks like one of my kids! Shocked and excited I relayed this whole story to Ethan who was intrigued and told me to find out more information. Over the next several days we filled out pre-applications and waited to hear if she was still available to be hosted and if we would be a good fit for her. We finally heard back last night that they have put her on hold for us and once our application, background checks, home inspections are all completed she will be able to come and stay with us for Christmas! The kids are very excited to share our lives with her and have been praying every day for her. As I put Ada to bed the other night the Holy Spirit was clearly speaking through her as she prayed, “Dear God I pray that you will tell O your story, I pray that you will tell her that you created the world and made her, and that you love her. And I pray that you will send her here so that we can love her. Please protect her tonight and all day tomorrow.” Of course we were both wiping away the tears to hear our child praying for someone she hasn’t even met yet with such love and empathy. This is so much an expression of what we want our lives to be about. We are fully aware that we could open our hearts and home, be vulnerable in loving her and that she may be too hurt to accept it. But we are praying Ada’s prayer over O, and we would be so grateful if you could join is in praying that as well. The cost of bringing her here is a little over $3,000. That cost covers her plane ticket and a chaperone’s plane ticket as well as processing fees and fees for things like our background checks and home inspection. We know that God has brought this girl into our life and will provide all that we need financially and emotionally. If you feel like you have a little extra to donate to help bring O here for hopefully what will be a very love-filled Christmas, we would be so thankful for even the smallest donation. Thank you so much for being in our lives and walking with us through this journey of listening to God!
  In Love, Juliane, Ethan, Eliot, Ada and Finn

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To donate, go to http://nhfc.org/more-ways-to-help-orphans/make-a-tax-deductible-donation-to-help-orphans/. Click on donate to a specific child. You can pay through PayPal and make sure to enter Oksanas # in the notes ( EO354).

Give it away

I read a post by Ann Voskamp today. She wrote with the tone that we, as the North American church, already know we are rich, we already know we should not be letting people starve for lack of food, we already know that we should welcome the orphan and care for the widow.
I have to agree. We know. But what do we do about it?

She also made a comparison of manna in the wilderness...how food was gathered and distributed in community. She talked about how some people cannot gather their own manna and are literally starving, and how some people have gathered more than they need and now have a maggot problem. Maggots of apathy, spiritual depression, unfulfillment, greed, distraction, obesity, etc.

The simple, obvious solution to both problems is for those who have more than they need to share it.

And the good point has been made that we already know this. But almost every one reading this has already started justifying why not; rationalizing your 'frugality', budgeting, couponing, saving, hoarding.

And some of us are feeling it. Wondering how our greed and self-focus have crept back up. We meant to live on less so we could give more. We meant to give sacrificially, but ended up giving from our excess. Our heart's cry is that we would live simply so that others can simply live. But the comforts make us sleepy and we forget to live on less and give more.

The only one who can change our hearts is Christ, so I'll leave it up to Him.

Let's begin right now to listen for God' voice to guide us in giving our first fruits, off the top, in large chunks; and living on the left-overs. He has a plan for our budget, for our Thanksgiving menu, for our Christmas gift giving and receiving. He has a plan for our home, our car, our clothes. Will we hear Him? Will we obey Him? I pray that we do. You pray, too.

XO

Open heart children

When I think about it, one of the most impactful jobs I have is as a mother to my children.
I can open my mouth on my blog and pray that it hits people in the heart and that followers of Christ follow Him more passionately and that people who don't know Jesus yet will come to know and trust Him.
But with my kids? I have the opportunity to create a legacy that outlives me.
If I pour into my kids the love of Christ, they can share it.
If I don't just blog about it, but actually host an orphan, they learn something I can't teach you.
If I ask for a gift from Gospel for Asia for Christmas, they get to give a gift that means something.
They will learn to choose gifts from GFA and Samaritan's Purse and hopefully see the emptiness of Macy's glitz and Sears' WishBook greed.
If I play "Saint Nicholas" VeggieTales movie every year, and take them shopping to fill their shoe boxes for kids the same age and gender as themselves, their memories of Christmas won't be about their lists of what they want, but about lists of what they are going to buy for others.
If I focus on teaching my kids the TRUE true meaning of Christmas, and if Santa is not the guy who brings them stuff, but is the guy who inspires them to GIVE. Oh! Just think of what that might mean. Just think of how far this could go! It places our focus on Christ and family, right where it should be.

This year we'll be using this resource to focus our hearts, every day, during Advent. You can use it too!

Advent for Orphans Calendar

 

 

Let's teach kids about giving! Let's teach kids to open their hearts to others! Let's teach kids to open their mouths for the poor, orphaned, widowed, needy!

 

(Go TEAM!) ?

 

Forgive the amount of CAPS and ! I'm really excited. I hope you are, too.

 

XO

Joce

Forgotten Christmas

As you know, I love hosting kiddos for Christmas.

I also love giving forever gifts for Christmas.

I am just so convicted about the way we spend our money on trinkets for Christmas.
Seriously, buy a newer game thingy?

 

Or buy a well that provides clean drinking water AND a missionary that tells of the Living Water?

I have been thinking about writing this post for a few weeks, but was not sure what to say, how to say it. And then I was prompted by the Bible, of all things. :)

My verses for today are Luke 20:46-47
⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, ⁴⁷ who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

The scribes devour widows' houses..
My heart is just so moved, and sad. Our gluttony devours the poor. Our overspending, overeating, and overindulging is responsible for the physical and spiritual deaths of so many people. I pray for a wave of repentance, I pray for forgiveness. When I reach heaven and face the accuser- what will I see? Face after face of people for whom I could have provided a drink of clean water and a drink of the Living Water if I had lived a little more simply, but DID NOT?
O Lord, let not my gluttony cause the death of the poor. Let me live poorer and give richer: feeding poor and hungry bodies and souls.



Going into this weekend humbled.

Forgotten Christmas.org

Don't miss this

Now. The time is now.

Click here and read Ann Voskamp about how YOUR time is now.

People. Children.

They are waiting for you to figure it out.
They are dying while you figure it out.
I am praying that you figure it out.

Are you listening?

I would like to take this moment to advocate for orphans. And I would like to prayerfully ask that you please click the following link to New Horizons.  

The world is full of children walking in darkness with no hope; but this is an opportunity to show them love and hope. New Horizons offers an opportunity for families to welcome Christ at Christmas and do foreign mission work without leaving the country.

Please pray for the children listed, children who are wondering if this hosting thing could be true, that God loves them and His people might care enough to bring them into their home for Christmas.

Please pray that God would show you how to help- praying, donating, advocating, hosting. If you feel a tug and have any questions, please contact me!

Hosting Anastasija changed our whole family- we learned more about following Jesus and we grew in our faith more than at any other time in our lives. Our family is not the same. My kids are different, they are others-focused. Joe and I are different- our hearts are softer, our faith is deeper, our eyes are open.

You may think, "I already know Jesus really well and keep His commandments." Let me just say that I thought that too. My thoughts echoed those of the rich young ruler: "And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”" (Luke 18:21) Our attitude often reflects that of the rich young ruler. We are pretty good. We have done lots of good things and live squeaky clean lives. And Christ's response to our attitude is the same as it was to that young man; “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Obeying His call to let go of our comforts and care for the poor is as difficult for us as it was for the rich young ruler and tragically, it is highly uncommon.

There is a reason Christ asked the rich young ruler to do the hardest thing. It is because with obedience comes blessing. Obeying His call to care for orphans in a tangible and out-of-our-comfort-zone way, and trusting Him to strengthen and protect and provide changed us in a way we couldn't have imagined. And now I understand that the Holy Spirit is like gas for your car: It really makes a difference in how far and how fast you can go. I also learned that God only gives you as much as you need. Our day-to-day trials and struggles need about a half gallon. But when you step out in faith to do something that is way beyond your own strength and resources, God fills you up! And man- You can feel the difference!
 God is more than we think. He "is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." (Eph. 3:20) The work of His Holy Spirit is just as awe-inspiring as you imagine it to be when you read the book of Acts. God answers prayer just like Jesus says He does when He tells us to ask, seek, and knock! "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Luke 11:9)

Obeying God in faith for something larger than yourself has great rewards. Open your heart and your bank account and your home to the fatherless this year at Christmas, and see how it feels to welcome the Christ child in out of the cold. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42) I always like to think that if Mary and Joseph had gone past my house, I would have gone out and welcomed them in and given them food and a good place to sleep and called a midwife, you know? Well, here are children with no family, with no love, and no Christ. They are standing at your door and seeking the warmth of your heart and hands and your hugs and your Christmas cookies and cocoa and Christmas Eve service. What will God have you do for them?
 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)


New Horizons for Children Christmas Hosting Program


According to the power that works in us,  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
(Ephesians 3:20-21)

XO

Every blog comment and every link, and every facebook like, every comment, and every share (total of 5 entries per person) enters you to win this book! Be the voice!

"Is the message of Christmas lost in the commercialization and hectic pace? Can we celebrate with intentional purpose? Using devotions and activities, Seeking Christmas gives your family an experience to pass down for generations to come."



Where are you Christmas?

Where are you Christmas? Why can't I find you? Why have you gone away?

I think most of us can hear Faith Hill's voice carrying those phrases, right?

The wonder of Christmas dissipates as we age. We can't quite conjure up the wonderment of our childhood. We enjoy watching our kiddos in their excitement, but even that leaves us feeling a little empty, with part our soul longing for something more.

The presents, the tree, the dinners and parties and cookies- they lose their magic and sometimes even begin to drain us. We try to focus on Christ, but as soon as we close our Christmas devotional, our joy fades and hustle and bustle kick in. It leaves us tired and empty. The mess after the gift-opening frenzy fills us with grief. We always hope for some magic, but all we see are glazed eyes and spoiled children.

And I LOVE Christmas. I LIVE for Christmastime. Christmas music is the all-time-best music. Hope and magic and twinkly things. But after all that, the day after Christmas is gray. The things we wanted and wrote on our lists didn't bring us the joy we thought they would. List-making brings to mind another song,

Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you
With childhood fantasies

 

Well, I'm all grown-up now
And still need help somehow
I'm not a child
But my heart still can dream

So here's my lifelong wish
My grown-up Christmas list
Not for myself
But for a world in need

 

As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree.(wrapped beneath the tree)

Well heaven surely knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul

 

What is this illusion called the innocence of youth?
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth
There'd be-

 

No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list

Maybe that's where we can start the process of figuring this out, this lost magic of Christmas. Maybe we need to seriously grow our Christmas Lists UP.

**********************

Let me offer you some hope for your Holyday Spirit.
Once upon a time a lady posted a link on facebook. New Horizons for Children- an organization that brings Eastern European orphans to America to spend Christmas with a real family. Magical, isn't it? Have you ever dreamed of bringing joy to an orphan? Of lifting a truly needy soul up from sadness and despair on Christmas, inviting them into your home to enjoy your blessings of a lovely tree, and cookies, and music floating on the air? Or is that just me? Tiny Tim, Anne of Green Gables, Little Orphan Annie? Just bring 'em on home to your house and do Christmas right? 
Well, I clicked that link and scrolled through some pictures of kids with no family. and suddenly, my heart stopped and there she was- Anastasija, my girl. I didn't know the Big Plan at that time, but I knew she was supposed to be in my home for Christmas. Many miracles took place, she came, and Christmas was REAL.

Really really really real. Like I cannot put it into words, but Christ came at Christmas in 2011. He came to my heart, my house, my church, and my community. People all around were blessed by the Spirit of Christmas, because their hearts were moved. You might have been one of those people. Do you remember?
**********************************
And then! God let us know she wasn't a one time deal, she was our forever girl. But that's not the story I'm telling today.

So, again:
AND THEN! In 2012, I simply posted about New Horizons on facebook and two more people I know and love were moved to host. Teenage boys, no less.

Edgars.

And Reno.
I speak their names with awe. Because God is working out His plan for them, too. To soften people's hearts, hearts that had been hard. And plans to prosper these boys and give them a future and a hope. Edgars is already adopted, not BY his host family, but THROUGH his host family. Because they hosted, another family heard the call and Edgars is THEIRS. He has a family for Christmas for the rest of his life. Talk about a Christmas gift. And Reno? God is working out that adoption right now.

And for these families, Christmas is real and will never be empty again. Because the Spirit of Christmas has come to their hearts.

God worked another miracle that year and Anastasija was HOME for Christmas.

The above picture was taken at about noon on Christmas Day. We opened our presents late last year. Our family didn't want to keep Christmas for ourselves, we wanted to give it to others. So we went to the VA hospital and sang Christmas carols to some lonely vets. And we were blessed. We were blessed. The gift we tried to give away came right back. How? The Spirit of Christmas was upon us again. Our focus was not on the gifts under the tree, it was on others. Even on Christmas morning, my kids were thinking of others. And that is an act of God, obviously. It looks like a lovely new tradition was born in our family, besides.

And this year? We're listening. God has a good plan for how we are going to give THIS Christmas away. (If you click one song link, please click this one, it changed my life!)


 I am so excited! I'm like a kid at Christmas! And that is the point.

It takes us right back to the beginning of this post.
Where are you Christmas? Give it away, and you will find it.
What is this illusion called the innocence of youth? Only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth.

Take a leap. Give your Christmas away this year, locally or globally, big or small, and watch how God gives it right back. The real thing. The Christmas you've been hungering for.

There's more to come about this Christmas thing. Stay tuned.

Peace.

Life around here...

God's crazy economy

I know God is rich. He owns the cattle on 1,000 hills. If I think about it, I am sure He laughs big belly laughs when we get all serious and say, "We're trusting God for the adoption money....$30,000.000!" We're all like, "WHOA, dude that's so much money." And God's all like, "I own the universe, to infinity and BEYOND. LOL" (yeah, God just LOL'ed)

But then, sometimes He does stuff just to be funny. Just for the glory of it.
I recklessly and happily gave away lots (according to our budget) of money yesterday, in two specific chunks. And today, when I opened the mail? We received two checks, one for the exact amount of the first chunk, and one for the exact amount of the other chunk. I'm serious. I thought I was being all crazy and throwing money around and God just threw it right back.

Because of that, we are not the only recipients of God's blessings. God blessed us, we let it run through our open hands to others, and then God put it back in our hands. Instead of just one family knowing of God's goodness and provision, two families do.

I found this good little article at Christianity Today:
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Key Bible Verse: "I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test. Bring the entire 10 percent into the storehouse. … Then I will open the windows of heaven and flood you with blessing after blessing." (Malachi 3:10, CEV) Dig Deeper: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

I urge you—plumb the depths of the parable of the talents. Take a good, hard look at the context of your life—nothing happens by chance. You are where you are and the way you are for a reason, for God's reason. The master says that when you invest the talents he's given you, when you are faithful to bear fruit from the little he's given you, he will give you more. And you will enter into his joy. People around the world are searching for joy. Where is it? How can we find it?

Here's the answer. Plain and simple. Straight from God: Invest what I've given you. Take a chance. Put it to work. Trust me. Make it multiply. Then I'll give you more. And you'll be happier and more content than ever fathomed. Don't believe it? Think of investing your talents the way the Old Testament describes giving your tithe [in today's Key Bible Verse].

We've all heard it said, "You can't out-give God." He's made me a believer. My joy is worth more than all the money in a zillion banks. What about you? Are you ready to take a good, hard look at yourself and determine what talents God has knit together within you?

—Bob Westfall in The Fulfillment Principle

My Response: How is the Holy Spirit prompting me to respond to this reading?

Thought to Apply: God has a way of giving by the cartloads to those who give away by shovelfuls.—Charles Spurgeon (British preacher)

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You should try it, it's really amazing, awe-inspiring, fun, exciting, liberating, and faith-deepening.
XO

Funny feeling

I was just scrolling through the photo listing. My heart has such a funny feeling because one certain Anastasija is not listed there; she will be with her forever family for Christmas this year. Praise God.

Please go to the New Horizons website and sign up to be able to view the photolisting. Please allow God to move in your heart- maybe He will lead you to pray for, give a scholarship for, or host a certain child. Without intervention, upon leaving the orphanage, 60% of girls will end up in prostitution, 70% of boys will be on the streets or in jail, and 15% will commit suicide within the first two years on their own.

I will never ever forget how I felt after I saw Anastasija's picture there, sandwiched in with hundreds of other little people. God just put that girl in my heart in a way that could not be ignored. Go ahead and scroll through those pics, and see what God might do to your heart.

(It's Joy. What you see there is Joy. You want some? Give this Christmas Away.)

XO

She's HERE!

Wow. Anastasija is upstairs having quiet/rest time with the other kiddos.

A few tidbits about her so far:
She is sweet and loving.
She loves to help with Jessup.
She has a sense of humor.
She knows 20-40 English words/phrases that help A LOT with communication. There is nothing we haven't been able to communicate so far.
She loves pizza.
She plays well with Brilyn.
She LOVES Joe.
She calls us mommy and daddy.
She saw a pair of socks with reindeer on them today, and said, "Haha, daddy shoot these."
She likes Home Alone: Lost in New York. She knows the movie (almost) as well as I do.
She is reluctant to let us learn any Latvian- she just wants us to speak English.
She likes to play the piano- it sounds like she has some play-by-ear talent.
She loves the clothes in her drawers.
She has NO jet lag.
She follows our routines like she has always been here.
She would eat her weight in apples.
She loves the cat.

Prayer request: Some of the kids from Ukraine are having some paperwork problems with coming here for Christmas. Please pray that God would work all things to His glory.

XO

On Christmas Presents

A quote from a friend on facebook:
"After spending a few weeks sorting through, literally, every single thing in my parents' home we were overwhelmed with all the *stuff* that we gave them and we are now either selling, donating, keeping for ourselves or sadly, throwing in the trash. This holiday season, please reconsider the gifts that you will be giving. Just spend time with the people that you love; have them over for dinner, take them to a movie, just sit and talk with them. You will not regret doing this. Merry Christmas indeed."


And, an article by Ann Voskamp, author of '1,000 Gifts,' shared with me by Hanna (thank you Hanna).

XO
Joce

JFK and back again

Joe will be flying Sunday morning at 6. He will be there in plenty of time to meet Anastasija, whose plane should land around 11 a.m. and who should be out of customs by about 1:30. They have a return flight to Rochester at 3:30 p.m. and should arrive here (!) at around 5:15 p.m.!!!!!!!!!!!

The kiddos and I will head up there to meet them at the Rochester airport.

Please pray for Joe as he travels this Sunday.

Please pray for ANASTASIJA as she travels a ridiculously long way. The total estimated time of travel for the kids in the host program is about 40 hours by the time they reach JFK. Bus, train, then plane.....and finally they end up on the other side of the planet, jet lagged and exhausted.
Please pray that Anastasija will find ways to be comfortable during her trip, and that she will safe and be able to relax when Joe picks her up in NYC. Pray that she will feel comforted and secure on her flight to Rochester, and that she will feel the love and joy that all of my not-jet-lagged kids will be trying to express.

One of the best ways to help people overcome jet-lag is to have them outside in the sunshine, so pray for a crisp, sunshiney day with snow on the ground for Monday- we'll plan to go down to McPherson's and get our tree that afternoon.

THANK YOU for your prayers. There is no doubt that prayer is powerful and absolutely necessary.

XO