Friday, February 5, 2010
Chosen?
If you go to this blog you will find some amazing shirts that say "Chosen". The money raised goes to Project Hopeful. It will help families that want to adopt HIV+ children with funding as well as their project Almost Homes in Ethiopia.
What does it mean to be chosen?
When we started the adoption process I orginally felt that N was chosen for us. We put our paperwork in with the list of health and back ground issues that we were 'comfortable' with. I thought we were actually pretty liberal in our openess, but would be lying if I didn't say I was a little hopeful we wouldn't be faced with having to say no to something out of fear.
God set the plans in motion, and we were called with the information about our sweet N within a matter of days. He was 'healthy' and young and beautiful. He was what God knew we could/would handle.
What God did with our hearts through that adoption has been nothing short of amazing to me.
When we started our second adoption, I sort of felt like we were choosing...and to be completely honest with you, it was a little weird. How does one choose a child?
We moved forward. We accepted that referral for our E and then were plunged into a place we weren't even remotely expecting. Honestly we felt like we had chosen this sweet little boy while the smile that just stole your heart and the cutest little shoulder shrug you ever saw. (Never did I know how much that shoulder shrug would drive me batty later! lol)
My heart struggled with our choice of E when we were told he was near death and in a coma in Ethiopia. Had we chosen wrong? Had God not been speaking to our hearts? Was he to die before we could get there to save his life?
What I have learned in the past year was that we were in fact chosen for E. Not the other way around. If we had not chosen his referral I don’t know that anyone else would have. He was so very sick, and honestly looked so so sad and bad after his time in the hospital. Would another family have looked at his pictures and moved forward with his adoption? I don’t say that in away to toot our horns, just wondering out loud. When we got home and found out that 2 out of the 3 meds he was taking for his HIV weren’t working we realized that he would probably have gone back into the hospital in ET and not come back out.
That thought brings me to tears as I write it.
What would life be like with out my E-man? I don’t really want to know to be honest with you. There is something about him that makes him special, a light that shines to me.
We were chosen to be his parents. We were chosen to be N’s parents. N my beautiful brilliant drama king… he was chosen to be ours without a doubt.
What I have learned in this whole adoption process is that when God chooses you for something, He opens your eyes to so much more than you ever could imagine.
He can do so much more with a heart that chooses Him.
I don’t know why God chose me for this journey. I can’t wait to see what He will choose for me in the future.
Right now I stand in awe of His choice. I stand in awe at His Grace and provision. All those days we have worried about our finances, about medication, about health, about disclosure, about behavior, about other’s opinions… all those wasted days.
God has never failed us. Not once.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Need sponsor's and a GIVE AWAY
As you may know I am co-leading a mission team to Ethiopia this April.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Weakness...
| February 02, 2010 | |
| Eliminating Doubt John C. Richards Jr. Tap! Tap! Tap! All of sudden, the once rowdy group came to order. The crowd's chatter died down. It was time to start the show. The maestro had arrived and the concert was to begin. There's just something about the presence of a maestro. His presence brings order out of chaos. It signifies the beginning of a wonderful musical masterpiece. The atmosphere becomes reverent when he shows up. He demands respect that is comparable to that of a king's coronation. Jesus is no different. He has the ability to make order out of chaos and to qualm all fears. He also has the uncanny ability to eliminate doubt in our lives. How does this happen? It happens when we follow orchestral protocol. The word 'maestro' is Italian in origin and means 'master or teacher.' Jesus is often referred to in scripture as master or teacher. He, in essence, is the Great Maestro in our lives, tapping on the strings of our hearts to bring to order the chaos in our lives. One of the amazing things about a maestro is his ability to maintain eye contact with his ensemble. Eye contact represents attentiveness. Any good date, interview, or business interaction is characterized by great eye contact throughout. Christ is attentive to every one of our needs; so much so that he will supply each and every one of them (Philippians 4:19). However, our own doubt causes us to lose eye contact with our Great Maestro. Peter was well aware of this fact. In Matthew's Gospel he found himself walking on water (See Matthew 14:28-31). However, his inability to maintain eye contact caused him to doubt the very thing that Jesus already told him that he could do. Eye contact with Jesus was so key when Peter walked on the Sea of Galilee that when it was lost, Peter began to sink. Many times we can get bogged down in the waves of life and forget about the necessity of eye contact. How am I going to pay this bill? Splish. Will I ever get married? Splash. When can I start a job in the field in which I really want to work? Splash. Ask any tight rope walker and they will tell you: the key to reaching your destination is found in your ability to keep your eye on the goal. Don't look down. The apostle Paul said it best: We are called to “press toward [our] goals...” (Philippians 3:14). Maintaining eye contact with Jesus is important when trying to eliminate doubt. Even the best musician in an orchestra can wind up being a failure if he misses his cue from the maestro. Without that visual cue, the orchestra member begins to doubt his/her role in the composition. Where are your eyes? I want to encourage you to refocus on the One who wrote the piece and knows your role better than anyone else. It is then, and only then, that you can begin to eliminate doubt in your life and live the life that God has called you to live. You play an important role in God's work. Without you, the harmony is slightly off. Without you, the composition is incomplete. Stay focused, give the Maestro your undivided attention, and watch the masterpiece unfold before your eyes. John C. Richards, Jr. | |
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Snow day....and the bathroom is about done!
Baby Girl Needs a home
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Photo shoot...
Friday, January 29, 2010
Shirts for Shoes... only 2 more days!
Shirts for Shoes from Tom Davis on Vimeo.
Shirts for Shoes has passed our goal of helping 400 orphans...in fact we're now up to around 500 and we're still going strong. These are exclusive HopeChest t-shirts for this year's Shirts for Shoes promotion. The sale ends February 1. Don't miss your chance to give these limited edition t-shirts as your 2010 Valentines Day gift.
Because we've sold so many shirts this year, we can help many of the older children in our program, particularly those at the Kolfe Youth Orphanage. Many of the boys at this orphanage are older and so their shoes are a little more expensive.
We've got just two more days of this special promortion. We're all going to buy something for Valentines Day. Why not buy a gift that gives a gift to an orphan? What could be better?
If you want to take the next step, check out the boys available for sponsorship at Kolfe on David Held's blog. Or e-mail him at kolfesponsor@gmail.com












