Christmas Photos

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Merry Christmas

Well, another Christmas has come and gone in our little home away from "home". We spent the day in peaceful reflection of all that God has done in our lives this year. We are truly blessed beyond measure.

This Christmas brought a new song (literally) into our home. Each of the children received their first musical instrument. (Wes got one too) Caleb got a piano and Ashlynn got a guitar. Our prayer and hope is that in this coming year, that will be full of challenges that we have never faced before, that God Almighty will give us the ability to Sing O Sing a new song. For in praising HIM we find Hope, Joy, Strength, and Peace that surpasses all understanding!

We dearly miss each of you and look forward to the Christmas that we will be sitting around the Christmas tree with you. Until then.. know that no matter how many miles are between us.. You are in our Hearts, our Thoughts, and our Praises.

So, Sing O Sing a new song with us.

We Love you... May the Joy and Peace of Christ be with you today and always.

Wesley, Stacy, Ashlynn, & Caleb

o.. and since I didn't get an instrument this year.. I'll stick to blessing you with my singing.. LOL

Home

Thanks for your prayers. We are all still home. God is good!

Please say NO

Just a quick note for my readers... I am asking you to pray. My love got a last minute, go now call this afternoon. Please pray that it's a no go right now. Sorry guys.. no details.. Op-sec! Just pray please we don't want to be away from him for 2 Christmas' in a row.

Great Christmas Gift Idea!

Sowing Seeds of Hope now in hopes of one day bringing our own little miracle home.

In His Timing,
Stacy

We need Africa

Thank you Jill for this video. I love it. It is so true. When people think Africa they think of all the commercials begging for money. What the commercials do not show it the beauty of Africa.. the splendor.. the joy..!

Enjoy the video friends.. Monica & Rodney may God bless you for your heart for this nation.

Jingle Bell Rock

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Dance with Us! It is Christmas Time.. O boy!

There is HOPE

I love this story; so, I want to share it with you. It is encouraging to my heart. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is going to bring a special needs child into our home. We are preparing Lord.. touch the coal to our lips.. send us! 

May you be encouraged and blessed today!

Great Gift Idea

I love this website. The clothes are very cool and it is all for a cause that is near and dear to my heart... ADOPTION.

Check it out... buy something for yourself or someone you love, and help bring a child HOME. 

http://www.annifororphans.com/index.html.

A Will, A Way, A Broken Heart

O. So much is in my heart and there is no way to translate it into words. 

We set out for Elim Mission in Poland before daylight on Thanksgiving morning. We met our team at the chapel and loaded the bus with a massive amount of food, supplies, and gifts for the Polish people. The bus ride was long and exhausting, but I was so excited to get there that I did not mind at all. I actually learned how to crochet on the ride there. (Nicole will be very proud of me.) Any-who, we arrived late Thursday night and the women had prepared a very yummy traditional polish meal for us. After our dinner we each settled into our rooms at the palace and rested for the next morning. 

Friday was super busy. We prepared and served meals to almost 400 people. The people were so surprised by God's outpouring of provision for them. It was amazing to see food being multiplied just like in the stories of the new testament.  Not only did each person eat to their fill, but they also went home with bags of food. They were simply astonished that people would bring them such nice things without expecting or wanting anything in return. We also had teams painting, sanding, doing labor around the palace, holding a medical clinic, making crafts for the children and countless other things. Each person that went, from the youngest to the oldest, served with all their heart and because of that Elim was blessed, we were blessed, and most of all God was glorified. 

Friday also brought much heartache. Wes and I were told by Pawel (the director at Elim) that our Matthew was no longer at the children's home. We were both completely crushed. We immediately went to the prayer room to cry out to God for an answer.  The moment that we met Matthew, we instantly had a parents heart for him. We have been praying for him since April. Our prayer has been that God's will for Matthew's life will be fulfilled, but I can't express to you how much we wanted God's will to be that Matthew would be in our home. I know that is selfish, but my dear friends I just love him so much it hurts!!! 

While Wes and I were praying we reasoned that maybe our love for Matthew and our prayers for him were actually for his birth parents. Maybe, we had to love him and pray for him... maybe God put our heart for Matthew in his birth parents.... Maybe.. Maybe?? O.. I do not know. But I do know that God's ways.. God's thoughts are HIGHER than mine. I can not comprehend them. I can only be obedient to do what He leads, and what He led us to do was pray. 

The director said that she was floored by them showing up and wanting to take him home. They had every "legal" right to take him according to the Polish laws even though they have not called or come to see him since he was left nearly 7 years ago.

Is this a miracle? Did God give them a parents heart? Do they love him? Could they possible love him as much as we do? O I just do not understand. I want to scream and cry. 

BUT I have to trust God.. He created Matthew.. He knew him before he placed him in his mother's womb. He has a plan for his life. O.. how I wish that it included us. 

We will continue to pray. 

I have also reasoned that maybe this was God's way of bringing Matthew's birth parents into our life because of the polish law allowing his parents to maintain legal rights to him. We were not in a "traditional" adoption process. Therefore, our next step would have been to hire a private investigator to find his birth parents and request adoption from them. So maybe God just brought them to our door. Who knows? 

So many things have ran through my heart and mind. But ya know God has a way of giving us little glimpses of His plan.. glimpses of hope to keep pressing on. 

On our way out of Poland, we stopped at a pottery shop. Everyone loves polish pottery.. it is beautiful. There are tons of patterns and all the ladies in our group were shopping for a piece to take home as a reminder of what God has done on this trip. While we were looking I found a mug.. it says Mateusz. That is Matthew in polish. humm. It was the only mug there like that. No other names.. just one little mug. Needless to say it is in front of me as we speak. I will see it each morning and pray for him.

We will not give up. We will keep praying. 

Please keep praying with us. 

God is good and His mercy endures to every generation.