Shout Hosanna

My friend introduced us to this fun song and the kids love it!

Singing Hymns and Family Devotions

Our love for music has definitely rubbed off on our kids. They can sing the first verse of Come Thou Fount, Amazing Grace, Doxology, Stand Up for Jesus, Holy, Holy, Holy, There is a Fountain, and Jesus Loves Me (and a bunch of kids songs).  We sing hymns with them before their nap and before bed at night, and they'll burst out into song at different times during the day too. 

They can both say Genesis 1:1, Ephesians 6:1, Deuteronomy 6:5, the Lord's Prayer, and the first three questions from a children's version of a Baptist/Reformed catechism (something like this).  We're using recommendations from the Truth and Grace Memory Book by Tom Ascol, which we love!  They're able to memorize so much more than we ever would have dreamed for being barely two.  The Lord has been good to allow me to stay home with the kids, which gives me time during the day to work with them on repetition.  During our family devotions at night we'll typically read a story out of the Big Picture Story Bible, sing a few hymns of their choice, say all their memory verses and catechism questions, and then say the Lord's Prayer.  Their minds are just soaking it all in!

Snapshots

We've had a busy few months!  Here are some pictures and videos of the kids lately...

They love the etch-a-sketches that Poppy and Mimi gave them for Christmas.  They draw pictures on them every day!

They had fun playing in the snow for the first time.  If you ask them about it, little miss will tell you that she fell down (not out of the ordinary for our sweet girl).  It sure is hard to get back up when you're wearing a snow suit!

The kids are such good, cheerful helpers!  Here they are taking out the garbage and loading the dishwasher:

Our sweet girl loves the baby doll crib that grandma and grandpa got her for Christmas.

And little man loves the basketball hoop they got him.

No Room

Please please read this blog post from our dear friend Amy Block.  She and her husband moved with 7 of their 9 children to Guatemala to serve the Lord in an orphanage there, now that adoption is no longer allowed in that country.

Yesterday we spent a good part of the day making room for these five new precious children in the children's home....

 

They were found eating dirt, doing everything they could to survive. The oldest little girl is nine, and it is obvious she has been the only mother figure in their lives. Today they were given a bath, a head treatment, a haircut, a couple of outfits, shoes and a whole lot of love. And as the days and weeks go on, they will be given a whole lot of Jesus. 

I wish I could think of some way to explain to you the look I saw in their eyes. The look of fear-  and then the look of hope. I wish there was some way you could walk in their shoes for just one day so that you could fully understand. Because, my fear is, this is just another post. Just another story... and for some reason when it isn't ours story- we tend to not care as much.

The truth is, after the placement of these five in our children's home- we are full. We have three bedrooms and 32 children. 

Simply put, there is no room for more.

So the next call, and the next call after that and the next call after that- will have to be turned away. Children who are just as important as these, children who are just as important as you and I. 

I don't know about you, but I find this kind of ironic. Kind of ironic- especially this time of the year- that there is... 

No room. 

So often I have wondered if they had known who Jesus was if they still would have turned Him away? And then I question-aren't we still doing the same? 

Every day we wake up and fill our lives with stuff. Stuff that consumes our time, our thoughts and our wallets. We pack more and more into each day- chasing after more stuff- stuff that isn't at all about his Kingdom- but ours. 

And pretty soon, our lives are full- too full for Him. 

You and I were put on this earth to make more of Jesus. Not to obtain more for ourselves. And yet somehow, especially during the Christmas season, we have gotten that so turned around.I cannot help but wonder how many of those Inn keepers ever realized that they missed the chance to be a part of the greatest miracle they would have in their lifetime? And I cannot help but to wonder how we could do the same? 

Today I am asking you to stop and ask the Lord how you might be able to help us make room for His children- and how we can make room for more of Him in our lives. Whether it be being a voice for those who have none, serving, giving, or praying- we need your help. They need your help. 

If the Lord has laid it on your heart please help spread the word about our need here at Eagles Nest. Please pray that the Lord's perfect plan will be revealed and that every piece of it will fall into place. And if you are able to give financially you can give HERE. Thank you so much for being His hands and feet to these children and for helping us making room for more.

We're Two!

You've probably missed seeing these sweet faces on here lately...

Believe it or not, our sweet babies are both two years old now!  We had such a great time celebrating their birthdays with family.  When I think back to their first birthday party, I'm amazed at how much they've grown and changed over the last year.  Their speech in particular has come so far!  Here are just a few quotes I wrote down from this week alone:

"Daddy make Christmas music at church. Listen. Clap. Yay!"
"Oatmeal fall on ground. It's dirty now. Throw garbage."
(about Christmas lights) "There it is! Do you see it right there? Whoa. That's cool! That's fun!"

And my favorite quotes...as they looked through the Bible at the story of Joseph we'd read to them the night before, she said: "Joseph say I forgive you."  And then as they flipped to the last page of the Bible, they quoted together: "Come, Lord Jesus. Amen!"  My heart about melted.

After hearing it repeatedly, they now love singing the happy birthday song.  Their repertoire of songs has really been increasing lately and they love to sing any of their new favorites -- Holy, Holy, Holy, Amazing Grace, Doxology, Come Thou Fount and Jesus Loves Me.  It's such a joy to hear our children singing praises to our great God! 

I could go on and on.  I love these two so much!  What a joy to be their momma!

Eastern DR Congo is "Rape Capital of the World"

A powerful post by our friend Sarah Tennant.



"Women told me how they expected to be raped. Not once but many times. The women I met, spoke of gang rapes, three or four times. Sometimes it was "only" two soldiers, more often gangs of men,10, 20, over and over again."

"Many had conceived children and the girl children, some just babies only a few months old, were being raped as well."

"Rape has now become generational."

"In Panzi hospital, Bukavu, Dr. Mukwege, a general surgeon continues to work tirelessly to repair these damaged women. I met one of his patients. She was a cheerful little girl, it was impossible not to be drawn to her smile. The nurse saw me playing with her said: 'You know she's HIV-positive.' She was just three years old. Her twin sister had been killed when she and her mother had been raped. This little girl had been conceived from rape."

These are just a few quotes from this article written by Fiona Lloyd-Davies on CNN.com, as she documents her experience in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the "rape capital of the world" and the country from which we are adopting. As I sit here writing this in my comfortable bed with my 4-month-old napping peacefully in the room next to me as I wait to appease him the moment he awakes with hunger cries; and with my husband who is sipping coffee next to me as he leisure reads on this most enjoyable week of his vacation, it requires great effort to imagine these scenes described above. Children of rape are now being raped. Right now. Women are afraid to walk outside of their doors to find food, because wicked rapists are on the prowl in the fields where their food lies. Right now.   Accompanied by every decision to eat is the disturbing risk of brutal sexual assault. And the precious babies that they have conceived under such unimaginable circumstances are... being raped...

Admittedly, a numbness encompasses me as I write that. Maybe it's because I do not want to imagine or believe that this is actually happening to people. Maybe it's because I feel so helpless when the problem seems so immense. It all seems so unfamiliar.

What is familiar to us right now? Grace upon grace upon grace. Though Paul and I are sinful wretches without the love of Christ sustaining us, our imperfect marriage overflows with God's grace. He has blessed us with a happy baby who has everything he needs (and wants- thanks to his grandparents, aunts, and uncles!). What was Luke's first Thanksgiving holiday like last week? Well, on the car ride to West Virginia, a proud aunt sat next to him and hovered his favorite toys in front of his face, as her heart filled with each smile Luke expressed. And upon our arrival, his mom and dad enjoyed the freedom of taking naps whenever we wanted, as 3 of Luke's aunts happily babysat and eagerly waited for Luke to wake from his naps so that they could hold him, kiss him, and tell him how loved he is. His 94-year-old great-grandmother lit up with smiles every time she saw him and found great delight reading a book to him. His grandfather volunteered to change his diaper and burp him. Attention was not lacking; loving Luke is contagious and easy.

When we go to church, Luke is constantly taken from my hands, because his surrogate uncles want some "time with the little man." My mom has already called "dibs on Luke" when we visit them over the Christmas holiday. My dad likes to stay updated on Luke's mental and physical development, as he frequently asks, "Is Luke grabbing his feet yet? Is he belly laughing yet?" And his two uncles have already showered him with presents. This boy is impossible not to love, and at only 4 months of age, he seems to realize how loved he is. And we, as his parents, feel so full right now. Our marriage strengthens as we share in our delight over our bundle of preciousness. Most importantly, our awareness of God's grace causes us to praise Him for being so kind to such undeserving individuals.

And this is why it takes great effort to imagine what these women are going through right now. I don't relate to their suffering, but as a Christian, I am called to pay attention to the needs of those suffering around me. No, Christians should not feel guilted into adoption. Christ came to take away our merited guilt so that we could receive the unmerited gift of freedom and righteousness before God. I do not feel guilty for having a wonderful husband, a happy baby, and a safe home. I do not feel guilty for the freedom I have to go to the grocery to purchase food, free of worry that I will get "gang raped." Instead, I am thankful to the Lord for his abundant kindness. And such thankfulness for my undeserved blessings causes me to want to share these blessings with those around me.

The orphanage from which we are adopting is on the opposite side of the Congo from where these scenes described above are occurring. But given that the Congo's size is less than 1/4 of that of the United States, the chance of our child(ren) being affected by this wickedness is not small. I don't know why these children are parentless, but the possibilities surrounding the cause of their present condition causes my stomach to turn.  All I know is that I want to take these unloved children and bring them into the loving family in which I am blessed.  I want to fill them up with the love that God intends for children to receive from their parents, and selfishly, I want to receive the natural delight that comes from seeing children understand how loved they are.  And most importantly, I cherish the opportunity to see God adopt children into his eternal family through Christ, as they see how their parents have adopted them into their family.  A new name.  A new identity.  A safe family.

We are number three on the list to receive a referral of a child, and we appreciate prayers for the Lord to increase our family however He wills.

Adoption: A Glorious Transformation

Such an encouraging post by David Platt as he and his wife welcome their new Chinese daughter into their family!

Adoption: A Glorious Transformation

Sometimes the Truth Hurts

(reposted from friends of ours)

Sometimes the truth hurts. Really hurts.  The Democratic Republic of Congo is a beautiful but ravaged nation in central Africa.  While it boasts the one of the highest (if not the highest) net worth of natural resources of any country ($24 trillion), its people suffer endlessly from poverty and a war that has claimed over 5 million deaths in the last decade.

People fleeing to a settlement camp.

Karel Prinsloo / AP

A settlement camp for refugees.

REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

Here are some faces of the war:

A 14 month old whose mother is fleeing from attacks in her village by the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels.

REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

An 8 year old who was left for dead after his mother, father & 7 siblings were hacked to death by militiamen. I'm sure these aren't the only scars he will bear for the rest of his life.

REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

A war orphaned child at an orphanage.

REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

Some more facts:

While the average American makes $40,000 per year, the average Congolese person makes $200-$700 per year.  But don't think that their goods are cheaper.  They are not.  For example, formula still costs the same in the DRC as it does here.  How are these people expected to survive?

1 out of every 5 children under the age of 5 die from malnourishment and preventable diseases.  Education is not free.  So who can afford it?  The war is displacing thousands of people.  How will they work to support their family?  How can you break the cycle of poverty when you live under these circumstances?

The government does not have the means to provide for those less fortunate.  Who cares for the 5 million children who have been orphaned by the war or extreme poverty?  Only a small portion of those end up in an orphanage where they might get 1 meal per day.  No one regulates the orphanages to make sure that these kids are treated even remotely well.  There are a lot of evil people running them. And these children are the lucky ones. 

AP Photo/Jerome Delay

REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly



The rest end up living as street children, being kidnapped and forced into prostitution by sex traffickers or kidnapped by soldiers and being forced to carry heavy loads and fight and kill their own people and family.  These are children!  No child should ever have to go through that.   

AP Photo/Jerome Delay

We realize without a doubt that adoption is not the answer.  Adoption is not the ideal answer for any child.  Children staying intact with their biological families is.  But until there is a more permanent solution for this country to break its chains of war and poverty, adoption becomes one of the best answers we can provide.  We, as a family, will fill in the gap and give love, hope and a family to a child or children that need it.  It is what God is calling our family to do, and we can't say no.  Please pray for our children across the world that they may be protected and know that someone out there loves them.

What if You Don't Get Your Miracle?

As I mentioned in the last post, we know a few families that have had difficult adoption stories lately.  One of those families is Josh and Tasha Via.  They're adopting a girl from Uganda, and after more than 10 weeks in country to try to finalize her adoption and bring her home, they've hit a significant road block.  They're beginning to wonder if they've come all this way in the adoption process only to lose her at the very end.

They posted something on their blog about God's sovereignty and faithfulness in the midst of all this, and I was so encouraged by it.  What if You Don't Get Your Miracle? (password: TRUTH).

God's glory is the ultimate end.  May that be our primary desire too.

It's Worth It

We know a few couples that have had long, emotionally trying adoption journeys lately. Months of struggle and uncertainty and sometimes even tragedy and loss.  We're thrilled that our friends Tony and Jenn Sutton were finally able to bring their son home from Ethiopia last week, and she posted something on her blog that we've often thought can only be fully understood on the "home" side of the journey:

I would go halfway around the world again for this little man.  I would spend all the money I had.  I would take as many 17 hour flights as needed.  I would spend even more years waiting if I had to.

How much more would God do for me (and you)?  Thanks be to God!

It's so refreshing and good to hear those words from a momma that walked a long, uncertain road to bring her son home. As we start the adoption process again, it's a good reminder that as difficult, expensive and long as the process can be, it's worth it!  Therefore, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:1 and 4:16, we do not lose heart.

Her Hair

Thought I'd share our current routine for her lovely locks...

My favorite resource is happygirlhair.com.  That's where I get most of my info about products, hair care, styles, and even skin care.  In fact, I'm about to make some changes for winter skin care (frequency and type of lotion) based on her recommendations! I recently stumbled across a few other sites that look good too: Chocolate Hair/Vanilla Care, Hair and Skin Care, Tightly Curly, African American Hair Care Tips, and an article at adoption.com. 

Every time our sweetie gets a bath we use conditioner (and soap, of course, but that's another topic).  We've used Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner all along.  I never rinse it out, I always just rub it into her scalp and through her hair and then leave it in.  Once a week, or sometimes less often if her hair seems dry (like it will in the winter!), I put Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Shampoo in before the conditioner, and I do rinse that out.  We got them from amazon, and they've lasted us a really long time.

Every morning and usually after naps I use a spray bottle with half olive oil and half water in it to spritz her hair.  Then I put some kind of conditioning lotion in it.  I think my favorite is Alaffia Shea and Virgin Coconut Enriching Hair Lotion.  I try to stick with shampoos, conditioners and lotions that are all natural, with no alcohol or artificial ingredients that would dry out her hair more.  They're usually more expensive and aren't as easily found at stores like Walmart.  A few other natural conditioning lotions are Blended Beauty Curly Cake Shake, Madagascar Vanilla Styling Creme, Qhemet Alma & Olive Heavy Creme, and Kinky Curly Curling Custard.  If you're in a pinch you might even try coconut oil.

After the spray bottle and the conditioning hair lotion, I use the tangle teezer.  I used to finger detangle every day, and we've gone from crying every time I finger detangled her hair to singing happy songs while I quickly, easily and painlessly comb through her tangles with the tangle teezer.  I highly recommend it.   They're online and I've heard they're at Sally's Beauty Supply also.

And that's all, folks!  As far as styling, I mostly just put headbands, flowers or clips in her hair for now.  Sometimes I get adventurous and do puffs, which are really just lots of ponytails all over her head.  Once we get to more styling... I'll probably let you know.

A couple of other things hair related.  Sweet miss sleeps on satin sheets, she uses a winter hat with a satin lining on the inside and she has a little square of satin that sits behind her head in her car seat.  I won't go into all the details, but those are important little changes to make.  And it doesn't cost much.  You can buy a little bit of satin at a fabric store and sew it on the inside of a hat and attach a piece to the back of a car seat.  If you'd like to buy them pre-made, and if you'd like to order satin sheets, here are a few places you can do that:  The Theme Room, Little Piddles, Infant Hair Saver, and MustardSeed (additional gallery).  

If you have a boy, it's really easy to just keep his head shaved.  Then you don't have to worry about tangle teezers, conditioning lotion, satin lined hats or satin on the car seat.  Sounds a little like the difference between me and a certain other boy I know...

Orphan Sunday

You can listen to a wonderful sermon from Orphan Sunday by Brent Nelson at Five Points Community Church here.

To Africa and Back

Our friends Derek and Leslie passed court last week to bring their son Silas home from Ethiopia.  Her blog post about their trip was beautiful and she said it was okay for me to share it here too.  So many of the things she says are very reminiscent for us.

Enjoy!

It feels so strange to be back in the United States. We were only gone 8 days, but in those 8 short days my whole life changed. There is so much to share and I will try to do it in a few days. I feel like I am still processing it all. We have traveled almost 16,000 miles in 8 days and spent about 60 hours traveling and I would do it again tomorrow.

My heart is overflowing with love for my son. Africa was like nothing I have ever experienced. Meeting my son for the first time felt so natural. Derek and I agreed that we felt as if we were born to be his parents. I am in awe that God has chosen us to parent this amazing child. He is so sweet and full of giggles and jibber jabber. He is a fighter already. This little boy has overcome many obstacles in his first year of life. He is an absolute miracle to us.

Yet my heart is also crushed because there is another sweet boy we could not also meet, hold, kiss, or become official parents to. At least not yet. We pray for a resolution for children from orphanages that have been closed. Such a bittersweet week in many ways.

And my heart is saddened because after loving my son from afar for 7 months and then in person for 6 days we had to leave him to come home. This part seems so unnatural. We now must wait to be submitted to the US Embassy so that he can be cleared to travel home. This could take many weeks/months. The timeline is very vague and this is hard. Yet we have seen God's hand throughout this process and we know yet again that we must trust in His timing. No matter how difficult this process has been at times, it has been the best experience of my life. It isn't easy, but looking into the face of this precious baby boy I know he is worth every second of this journey.

I will share more throughout the coming weeks about our sweet Silas, our time in Africa, the people we met, and our experience as parents. For now I treasure these pictures of our time with our son.

Why Was This Child Born Blind?

I listened today to a John Piper sermon titled "Why was this child born blind?"  It's excellent.  And helpful in thinking about all kinds of struggles and suffering.

As I listened to it, the Lord surprised me by answering a long-standing prayer of mine.  It's kind of unrelated to the sermon topic, so I'll share some background.

When the kids and I are grocery shopping or out somewhere, I'm frequently asked if they're twins.  I usually say that they're not, and that they're only two weeks apart so it's like having twins.  Almost inevitably, people will ask me if they are brother and sister (kind of a funny question since that would be impossible, but still I'm asked it).  And that's a problem for me.  I know that the question has to do with whether they came from the same birth family.  If I were to answer that question, I would have to say no.  But the truth is that they ARE brother and sister.  And I don't want to undermine what the Lord has done in their lives through adoption by saying no, especially in front of them.  I've really struggled with how to direct the conversation.  I've tried a few different approaches. I've asked people for advice.  I don't want to be rude or unfriendly but it's been a bit confusing to me -- do I say something potentially misleading by simply answering that they are brother and sister, or do I answer the question I know they're asking and add on a tagline about the fact that they are brother and sister now?  Neither of those approaches has worked out in the way I'd like them to.  I'd love to be able to share the remarkable things the Lord has done in our family in a way that doesn't undermine adoption or cause our children to question the validity of their relationship to each other.  But honestly, part of me would also prefer to be a little more anonymous and avoid the conversations altogether.

With that in mind, here's the quote that stood out to me.  The passage comes from John 9.  Seemingly unrelated at first, but stick with it.

Let me plead with you—see disability. See it. Not like the priest and the Levite, who see the Jewish person beat up on the side of the road and then just walk to the other side. We're not seeing the way Jesus saw when that happens. So my plea is to trust God to give you what you need in that moment, and don't turn away.

It's our natural reflex to see and avoid. But we are not natural people. We are followers of Jesus. We have the Spirit of Christ in our hearts. We have been seen and touched in all our brokenness by an attentive, merciful Savior.

If you want to be one of the most remarkable kinds of human beings on the planet—a Jesus kind—see people with disabilities. See them. And move toward them. If you run away from every opportunity to make a mistake, you will be the most isolated, safe, boring, uncaring, person imaginable. We're Christians. We believe in forgiveness. We believe in making mistakes on the way to being a loving person. 

When the disciples saw Jesus’ attention to the blind man, they asked for an explanation of his blindness. Verse 2: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” That was probably not the most compassionate thing to say at the moment. And you're not going to say the right thing either. You're not. But Jesus was so merciful to them (just like our parents of children with disabilities have been merciful when we have said ill-informed and insensitive things). He does that a lot. He redeems awkward moments and callous words...

Jesus says, in effect, specific sins in the past don’t always correlate with specific suffering in the present. The decisive explanation for this blindness is not found by looking for its cause but by looking for its purpose. Verse 3: Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

I want to be like Jesus!  I want to redeem awkward moments and answer insensitive questions gracefully, remembering that I will sometimes ask ill-informed things too.  I hope that having a better heart attitude toward questions that are not meant to be offensive will model grace for my kids too.