Come and Meet Us Here!

"Religion that is pure and blameless is this: to take care of widows and orphans in their distress." James 1:27

This past Saturday was truly a celebration of God's goodness and my heart is full! If you hadn't heard the news, we were blessed with a concert benefit by several Christian artists to raise money for our adoption! It was truly epic to watch how God brought people from all over the state and country just to support bringing two little boys home from the Congo. We were blessed by having FOUR bands play for us! We had The James Robert Band, Living Stones, The Matthew Moore Band, and Shaun Groves! Amazing.

So how did this all happen? It is because of ONE man's decision to step out and DO something. There is a quote that I have always loved by John F. Kennedy, that is so perfect for this: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Simply stated....Our responsibility is to DO. Faith is ACTION or it is dead. So out of faith, our friend simply used what he already did, which was run a sound company and ASK people to help. The result: an incredible concert where a bunch of people who did not know each other, came together to work in unity for one purpose: to take care of widows and orphans. Their single unifying banner? Their love for Christ. That is all that is really needed! He is the only answer! So thank you John, for your faith and for acting and doing!  AND THANK YOU to all the band members!  I was so blessed just by the new friendships I made and by hanging out with band members, that the money didn't even matter!  Just having dinner with the Matthew Moore Band made me smile ear to ear!

and the BIGGEST little hero of the night?  A 4th grader with the faith of a GIANT.  This little man of God, decided to ask for something much bigger than toys or video games for his birthday.  He asked to help bring two little boys home from Africa.  So what did he do?  He asked for $ instead of presents from all his relatives, and raised money, and GAVE.  And he GAVE a LOT!  Owen was able to raise well over $200 and gave it all to us!  This is true faith.  The faith of a child.

SO.....everyone is waiting to hear....the grand total for the night was $2092.55!  Hooray!!!!!!!
Truly, we are in awe of everything that happened that night.  Every penny given, no matter the amount, and every hug of support and prayer and lifelines to us and our boys in Congo.  God will provide every penny we need for those boys.  We are simply called to love and obey Him.  THIS IS religion that is pure and blameless in HIS eyes.  So we want to thank each of you personally.  Since we couldn't possibly do that, we made a little video to say thank you.  ENJOY!

Surrender!

Surrender!

Friends and Family, I am happy to announce it's getting so close! I know it's been a while since I have written a post on this blog!  God has been moving mightily in our midst and in our hearts in this season of change and transition!  Everything I once knew, is now new!  He truly causes ME to change in the midst of change, and I see the world as bigger now.  I see more opportunity than I ever did before and have met more people and organizations making a difference for the Kingdom of God, and seen more that God is doing across the earth than ever before.  The opportunities are endless and much is happening!

This past Easter Sunday was a significant one for me.  We were privileged to attend Willow Creek Church in Chicago for Easter morning service and hear Bill Hybels share from his heart.  It was a heart changing moment for me as he shared a quote from William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army.  

"The greatness of our power, lies in the measure of our surrender."

In that moment, God brought my heart to another level of surrender to Him, to His plan for my life, His guiding my steps, His timing for my kids in Congo, and most importantly in understand HIS great love for me.  I was in awe, once again, of the King!  What a privilege it is to know Christ!  So on this Easter, each person was given a white flag, to make a heart resolution again, "I surrender."  The band played the song, "White Flag" and it was a powerful moment.  I am so thankful! 

So, I am pleased to announce that things are moving QUICKLY now in bringing two little boys home from Congo!!!!!!  It is VERY exciting!  We have had court hearings for both boys for birth certificates, and are now just waiting on ONE final hearing for the official adoption, which should be soon!  We will be getting more information this coming week from our agency!  We are very excited, although the time line of actually bringing them home is not certain yet, it is getting very very very close!  

We have two BIG needs right now.  ONE is prayer.  We need prayer for that final court hearing, prayer for both boys in the orphanage in Congo, and prayer for Jeremy and I as we figure out how to become parents to TWO at once.  

The SECOND thing we need is to complete our fundraising.  God has blessed us along the way for sure, through my etsy store, craft shows, and more.  I have worked hard to earn the extra money!  and we are grateful for every penny that our friends and family have invested into us.  However, we still have a large amount to cover!  I know that God is faithful!  We have TWO more fundraisers left (besides my etsy store).  I will tell you about one NOW!

This first one is for music lovers!  Shaun Groves has GRACIOUSLY offered to do a benefit concert for us!!!  We are thrilled!  The concert will be in just two weeks on Saturday April 27th at 7pm at the Potters House in Mt. Pleasant.  Admission to the concert is FREE.  

During the concert, a free will offering will be taken, 100% of which, will be sent to our agency on behalf of our adoption!  You can help by spreading the word on your social media, bringing your friends, family, churches, youth groups, and co-workers!  Here is the flyer that we made for advertisement purposes which we would love for you to share with your churches, youth groups, twitter, facebook, and more.  If you want a file of it, send me an email and we can email it to you!  

We will have a very special video to share at the concert and both HeartCry International and Compassion International will be there as well.  Shaun Groves is doing this concert for free, and we are incredibly excited and blessed.  We have many friends who are helping to organize the concert as well that we are thankful to as well!  We hope to see you there!  Check out this song that I know you all know!  We want to welcome home our boys soon!

Is Justice Worth it?

Is Justice Worth It? feat. Micah Bournes from World Relief on Vimeo.

IS Justice Worth It?
Yes.  You never stop fighting for your own.

Throughout this process of adoption and transition in our lives, God has been challenging my thinking and understanding about everything! It is like a reshaping and reforming, hopefully, to be more like Him....more patient, more loving, more compassionate, more PRESENT. My whole view of family has changed and in the process, my heart has changed.  He makes all things new, and sometimes, He means everything.  My FAMILY too.

 The cry of my heart has become stronger in these present weeks to defend the cause of orphans and widows.  To seek JUSTICE for those who have been oppressed.  To reach out, both HERE and internationally, not only with humanitarian aid, but also with the love of Christ, with the message of the Gospel so that they may know Him too. For knowing Him, brings hope, and hope is a powerful medicine and motivator to LIVE!  This HOPE has been a lifeline for me this past year as we have walked through this process of adoption and other changes life has brought. Without Him, I don't know how I would have made it.   But this Hope we have inside, this living breathing Holy Spirit, who comforts and moves on my behalf, has made all the difference. I am FREE! And soooo ready to move forward and a difference! Ready for 2 little boys and giggles and pillow fights and macaroni and cheese and muddy feet. yes! and in the midst...fight for Justice!

Over the past few weeks, I have been privileged to become involved in a small way with a great organization called Heart Cry. Heart Cry is a far reaching non profit that helps orphans and widows around the world. They have feeding programs, orphanages, and programs to teach widows business trades to earn income for their families and to try to keep families together. And through it all they bring the Hope of Christ through Bible studies and more. I have been privileged to help set up an etsy store on behalf of the widows and orphans. All the items in this shop are fair trade---handmade in Uganda by the widows themselves and the profits go directly back to them. Make sure you check it out and support their cause!  It's authentic and legit! (NONE of it goes to our adoption.  It is just a great organization that fights for justice!)

So what's happening in our own adoption? Lots!

PRAISE REPORTS:

• My Adopting Nations store has been doing well, and since the beginning of 2013, I have deposited $2,500 from my store! (it is not all online and not all profit....I just dont reimburse myself for my materials, but this is AWESOME!!)
• We received a call from our case worker and previously there were some delays that have been announced in the embassy and visa process, but the good news is that it doesnt seem as bad as what people thought, and we will know more about how it affects us personally next week.  She seemed very positive.
• LOCAL FRIENDS!  Jeremy and I have been asked to come and share our adoption journey at the Central Michigan Free Methodist Church on Sunday March 10 at 10:45 am.  We're in charge of the whole service!  We are thrilled to share our hearts with everyone!  Want to hear about the journey and see the pics of the boys???  ALL are welcome!

How YOU can help!

1. PRAY!  Pray for our two boys!  Pray they are safe, eating well, healthy, and loved.  Pray for the process to go QUICKLY!  Let's get them home!  We are waiting on court dates for the boys and should hear next week maybe on that! And Pray for US to have the patience to wait this out for God's perfect timing!
2. Help in our Fundraising adventures!  We need to raise about $10,000 for our next payment due at the court hearing.  Some Cool things happening that YOU can help with:

• Shop and Spread the word about MY etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AdoptingNations
• Give!  Check out the paypal link on the side!
• Local Peeps---Come to a benefit concert on April 27th being held in our honor at Potters House.  Several Christian artists will be there, including Shaun Groves!  More info to come!
• Be a part of an ONLINE AUCTION on my FB page for Adopting Nations!  I have been BUSY BUSY BUSY making specialty items for my shop for this auction.  Super secret super awesome items, never before seen.  I want to keep them all, just so you know, they are so cool.  This will be coming at the end of March!  Keep watch on my fb page!  https://www.facebook.com/AdoptingNations
• Give1Save1---we are applying to be on this website.  Check it out.  It's totally cool.  Pray that we can get featured.  
• Finally BUY on AMAZON through our link!  You can click on it below or on the side and a small bit of the sale goes to us!  So buy your normal items, but first click on the link!  

Adopting Nations

We love you all!!!!!!!!  Thrilled to be used by God to fight for Justice!

Called Out!

Adoption seems to be an exercise in patience. The hoops and trials required are definitely not for the faint of heart. To participate in this great adventure, you gotta have a fight and a fire in your bones that supersedes the mind's ability to reason. You have to be Called Out by the very heart of God, totally convinced. This calling out is what I have been experiencing for the past 12 months.

I have been enraptured for the past 2 months with the life of Moses. Moses, who was adopted himself, grew up in the palace. There is no doubt that he had all he needed in the courts of the Pharaoh. Moses surely had connections, power, friends, influence, and more. But God knew Moses' heart. There must have been some part in Moses' heart that was unfulfilled, and God knew it. THE King wanted to show Moses His Glory. So HE called him out. Over the next 40 years of Moses' life, he lost everything he had known before. Every comfort of living in the palace was now replaced with wandering the desert, tending sheep was now his new full time job, his adopted family abandoned him, and even his own people, the Israelites, judged and betrayed him. But through it all, Moses gained something sweeter....he SAW God's Glory.

Am I willing to surrender it all to see His Glory? Perhaps, just maybe, in all that has happened in the waiting for this adoption, God has planned something that far exceeds my expectations, that far exceeds my reasoning and logic. For this hope.....i wait.....called out to live differently. It is only there, in the desert, can He show me His Glory.

Hope filled....

Meanwhile, I would like give you a current update on a few things although there is not too much to report. We are waiting for court dates for the boys. Two specific dates. No news on this front yet. They did say it can take a while, so we wait and trust that God is keeping things moving forward.

In other news, my wonderful school family threw me a huge luncheon fundraiser! They decorated the lounge with pics of the boys and african animals and yummy food and it was a beautiful display of love and family and brought us to tears. They donated a ton of money that day and we are forever grateful for their kindness to us!




We also got the opportunity to send our first care package to our boys! Yay!  It was fun to pick out things to fill a flat envelope for each boy with coloring books, crayons, a bedtime prayer book, stickers, and a pillowcase for each!  I don't know if they have pillows, but they will find a use for them!  AND we got to send them pictures of us, their bedroom, and kitty!  :)  It was a wonderful moment knowing that they will hopefully, soon be resting their heads each night on something from mommy and daddy.

So, we are mostly still in the fundraising stage.  While my etsy store has been successful, we still have over $15, 000 to raise to complete this adoption.  We are working on a few more fundraising ideas coming soon, so be on the look out.  The best way for you to help with this effort is to spread the word!  Share my etsy store on your FB & Twitter, and donations can be given right to our paypal account through this website!  Also, we will have some more opportunities to get involved soon!  Finally, we cherish and covet your prayers.  There are still very key things, such as court dates that have to happen and nothing is finalized by far.  We appreciate and love you all!  

Exodus 33:18--And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence."

A Christmas Miracle!

"Sing to God, sing in praise of His name.  Extol Him who rides on the clouds, rejoice before Him---His name is the Lord.  A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in families." 
Psalm 68:4-6

Rejoice with us!  a Christmas Miracle!

After MUCH waiting, praying, and sewing.....a little Christmas miracle has been made known to us.....

Actually, make that 2 little Christmas miracles...

Yup...that's right....we have a REFERRAL!!!!!!  

Our hearts are bursting with joy over not just ONE, but TWO little boys!

A Christmas miracle.

As you may know, it is not wise for us to share any more details with you online.  This protects these two children and the entire adoption process, so if you want more details, you will just have to see me in person and buy me coffee.... :)  

Until then....rejoice with us!!  Pray for the MANY court proceedings, judges, and attorney that will be handling this case over the next 6 months (this is the expected time frame still).  Pray for the rest of the finances to be provided (i will be doubling my sewing!)

But most importantly, praise God with us, who is always working behind the scenes, beyond our understanding, to show us His goodness.  He is the reason we live, and breathe, and have our being.  We must continue to trust Him, even when the way seems dark, and uncertain.  He brings hope to the hopeless, and sets the lonely in families.  We believe it for your family too.  It is the season of miracles.

In The Waiting.....We Believe.

I read this on another blog that I follow.....

amazing.

"This is the stage you realize God can put a vicious fight in you for a kid without your blood coursing through his veins. Of course, you don’t know this kid yet, but you love him in your heart, in your bones. You’ll fight like hell to get to him. You can’t think of anything else. You are obsessed. You realize that when God said He sets the lonely in families, He meant it, and He doesn’t just transform the “lonely” but also the “families.” He changes us for one another. God can create a family across countries, beyond genetics, through impossible circumstances, and past reason." -Jen Hatmaker
Sometimes the thought of yet another Christmas coming, with no children to happily squeal in delight of presents around the tree and gobble down Christmas cookies, and snuggle up on the couch to watch the Grinch, and run around in the snow....is overwhelming to say the least.  But after hearing and seeing the human injustice that is happening in Congo the past week and a half, I feel a new urgency and yes, even privilege to adopt from Congo.

Women and children flee from Goma to UN camps for safety. (pic taken-Nov. 19, 2012)

See in the midst of the literal massacre that is happening right now on the border of Rwanda & Congo, I believe that God is moving heaven and earth to bring two little kids to safety and forever change their lives.  And while some of those around me have looked on me with pity, genuinely sorry about what they see happening and hoping it does not delay or cancel this adoption adventure, God has put a "vicious fight that I can feel in my bones" and I won't give up.....I'll fight like hell.  For what greater reason is there to live and breathe?  God will make a way.  He loves them far more than I can understand with my limited reasoning.  My only job?  To keep moving forward, and not give up.

Toys with children in the UN camps made from clay.  (pic taken-Nov. 19, 2012) 

Please join me in the fight for these children.  What can you do?  PRAY.  PRAY.  PRAY.  What do I want for Christmas?  For you to PRAY.  The Bible says that the prayer changes things.  (James 5:16, James 4:2, Matt. 21:22).  PRAY for the people of Congo and PRAY for the children that God intends for us to have.  I believe it will come.  In waiting, He keeps us safe, and is preparing the way, and changing me to be a better person.  I feel chosen and privileged to be on this journey!  :)  (and I AM looking forward to Christmas! GREATLY---Christmas IS hope.)

Much love to you all,
Jen

If you have not followed or seen the news reports, here are a few links that I have come across that you may be interested in.

Ben Afflick speaks on Africa!  He has really used his fame to bring attention to this country.  Here is a video from abc.com
http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/week-exclusive-ben-affleck-congo-17803903

Congo in the News:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/congothedemocraticrepublicof/index.html
http://www.congoplanet.com/news.jsp

 

"By this, all men will know that you are my disciples....if you love one another." John 13:35 (NIV)

Nothing speaks louder about the true love of God for us than when you are blessed by a perfect stranger.  The King simply reaches out of heaven and connects two hearts across the nation or the world, who might never otherwise meet, except for the love of the Father.  This, has happened to us this week.....a surprise in the mail.

Here's the story:

One of the coolest things about adopting, is that there is a whole community of support nation wide and internationally that understand what you are journeying through and want to encourage and love on you.  You are adopting a child from another nation, and then realize along the way, that you are gaining much more....new friends and families across borders.  Through etsy and various adoption blogs, I am beginning to realize just how wide open the world really is....just how big God really is (much bigger than the box I had tried to put him in over the years!)  So, through etsy, I met a wonderful couple from Alabama....Family H.  They were investigating adoption and praying about whether they wanted to adopt internationally or domestically.  and....they are a military family too! Huah!  So, we exchanged messages back and forth, and talked about my experience, and a few weeks ago, they made a decision to adopt domestically.  Praise God for domestic adoptions as well as international!  It is every bit as much of a calling to adopt domestically as it is internationally.  Well, because of their love for the Father, and the fact that domestic adoptions are far less costly (basically free through foster care), this family felt impressed on their hearts to close their etsy store and then take steps to sow a seed, believing God for their own adoption, by sending me their supplies from their store so I can use them to make beautiful things to sell on my store for our adoption.  Amazing.

This box contained a couple hundred dollars of supplies in fabrics and ribbons and more.  A great sacrifice and even bigger heart for God.  I am humbled and in awe at what we, as Christians, really are capable of....great love that brings great Glory to God.  As friends and readers, please pray for family H and their adoption process.  Their kindness has encouraged us, and blessed two children from Congo....coming soon.

In addition to this, several people with hearts for Christmas shopping with a cause have contacted me to share my store on their blog and that also has been a HUGE encouragement to us as well.  Check out these sites and blogs and buy gifts with double meaning this Christmas.  What can YOU do this holiday season to encourage others and show the love of Christ in your heart?

Look for cool and unique items coming to my store soon with all these cool ribbons!  I have ideas!......Merry Christmas!

Christmas Shopping with a cause 

(I'll be adding more as I find them!):

http://www.riversandmiles.blogspot.com/
http://www.addingaburden.com/2012/11/a-more-meaningful-christmas.html