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.