Bon Voyage Benin Team

Our church has adopted a people group in Benin, West Africa. The Mahi people are an unreached people group and with just one missionary couple for the entire country, it is very difficult to reach all the villages. So our church has committed to be missionaries to this country. It is really so exciting to see how God is going to use the ordinary people of our church to reach lives of people in villages that might not otherwise hear about the love of Jesus. Tonight we sent off our second team to Benin. This group is quite special to us as many close friends are on this journey. However, for Gracie, it hits especially close to her heart. Her Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Kathy, is on her way to Africa for the first time. Gracie has heard her talk about this trip for many months and listened to Mrs. Kathy's fears of the bed bugs and huge roaches but also her excitement for getting to tell people about Jesus. We are soooo excited that our church has started a blog to help us follow along and witness the work taking place over there. God willing, when technology is available, they will be able to post pictures and tell us about their experiences as they travel to some of these desolate villages. If you think about it, will you please pray for our "ordinary" missionaries as they embark on a life changing journey to Benin, Africa? And if you want to see missions in action go here!

This wonderful man (in burgandy) is responsible for the incredible mission opportunities our church engages in every year. You'll never meet another man like Bubba Sawyer! He is truly a man after God's own heart!

Many, many people turned out to say Bon Voyage to the Benin Team. Our youth minister is on this trip to Benin so the entire youth group turned out to send Miss. Audra off. These three girls know first hand the joy that Africa holds, they give up a month of their summer to minister at an Orphange in Zambia!

Wordless Wednesday

She turned 7!

Do you think she is excited about turning 7?

Oh the anticipation of making that wish! No birthday cake for this young lady, she asked for a cheese cake!

In case you were wondering, the curls did come back, but only on the sides. I think the curls in the back will come back as her hair grows out longer. At least that is what I am hoping for!

Gracie's pool party! She has waited all year for her friends to sing "Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you...."

I'm no cake decorator, but I thought I did a pretty good job on this cake! Again, no birthday cake for this special girl, it's a cookie cake this time!

The easiest birthday party ever! And we just about had the entire pool to ourselves. I think some early morning clouds and a 30% chance of rain scared most people off!

Eli had a blast with daddy throwing him up and letting him go under water!

Miss Candy, Eli's Sunday School teacher had to move to Florida. We are going to miss her terribly! He loved her and loves his class. Everyone should have a teacher as sweet as her and named Miss Candy!

We've had a busy week but Eli didn't let his guard down! He was still just as silly as always!

Bad Haircuts

Have you ever had a bad haircut? I've had a few in my day! Remember "The Rachel" look? Yeah, I was one of thousands of girls that had to have that cut! Turns out, it was NOT my best look.

It seems we've had a few bad hair cuts around this house lately too! Not too long ago the girls and I went to the pool while Eli napped. Eli woke up while we were gone and his daddy apparently bribed him with a pop pop (code in this house for popsicle) so he could cut his hair! The result: my son looked like he had an uneven mushroom head! What that boy will do for a popsicle! So we headed off to Mr. William to have him fix the damage and give the girls a trim as well. Called it our "back to school" haircuts! Everyone came out looking just precious. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I had to be gone all day for a meeting. Jeremiah had Eli and Madilyn this time. When I got home I thought something looked different about Madilyn's hair but couldn't quite put my finger on it! Just as she got in the tub that night I found a think strand of brown hair on her floor. Thinking (more like hoping) it might belong to a Barbie, I pushed the thought aside. Until I went to wash her hair and it began to fall out into my hands. As the night went on we found more hair. She totally denied anything at first, but after closer inspection, I discover she had cut the entire left side of her hair beginning with the front to behind her ear. Her story? It was a hot day and her hair was itching her face. So she found some scissors in the playhouse and just cut it off. Now it doesn't itch her face anymore, because it's NOT THERE! Turns out, she even cut off a curl or two off of Eli's hair! I couldn't get too angry. I mean as much of a scissor nazi as I am, somehow I did overlook a blue pair left on the loft of the playhouse that she had to climb up on the top of her play kitchen to even find them! So today, we went and saw Mr. William again and had him make his repairs! This was Madilyn before:

and this is Madilyn now!

Not to worry, once we wash it I've been told all the curls will return! I'm praying Mr. William is right!!! I miss those springy curls!

I'm next to get a hair cut and it certainly won't be here at home!

Is there more?

It has been quite a while since I have had a chance to blog but that does not mean I haven't been keeping up with the rest of you. Through many joyous tears I have watched Sophie become a part of her forever family and journey home to America. I read all about Sawyer growing up over night and Jenna's awesome date with her dad. The Harris' have had a busy summer meeting up with various travel group friends from China. There are so many other blogs I follow but too many to mention! And even though I don't always comment I am often checking in!

We've been so busy traveling this summer! As a family we've traveled to three different states and my husband also had the opportunity to travel to Boston! At least he visited Mike's Pastry for me and brought home cannoli! Not long after we got back from Panama City our air conditioner went out. Here in Georgia, that's not good! Especially in the dog days of summer! Some days it was cooler outside than inside our home! After almost two weeks of staying with my mom we finally moved back in and started our school year! I can't believe the summer went by that quickly but Madilyn started Kindergarten and Gracie started 1st grade and a half - when you homeschool you can be a half! I am very excited about our year and I feel so blessed to have the privilege of teaching my own children in our home!

We have also been seriously praying about our adoption. The third anniversary of our LID will soon be upon us and we have been seeking the Lord for direction in this most important calling! Because the wait has stretched out so long I feel I have often lost sight that this is a calling upon our lives and that I should keep my eyes focused on Jesus! While I have enjoyed reading about other families and their journey home with their children from countries all over the world I am not always convinced it is real in our lives! The reality of it feels out of reach.

I recently read a devotional that was quite eye opening for me. We've all heard the story of Peter walking on the water and when he began to doubt Jesus he sank. I too have heard it over and over again. However, Oswald Chambers has it going on when it comes to the explanation of this passage of scripture! He says that although the wind was boisterous and the waves were high, Peter didn't see that at first. He only saw Jesus and stepped out in faith. It was when he began to take into account the things around him that he went down. Mr. Chambers says "We step right out with recognition of God in some things, then self-consideration enters our lives and down we go. If you are truly recognizing your Lord, you have no business being concerned about how and where He engineers your circumstances. The things surrounding you are real, but when you look at them you are immediately overwhelmed, and even unable to recognize Jesus." "Let you actual circumstances be what they may, but keep recognizing Jesus, maintaining complete reliance upon Him." "If you debate for even one second when God has spoken, it is all over for you." "Be reckless immediately – totally unrestrained and willing to risk everything – by casting your all upon him." "It is only through abandonment of yourself and your circumstances that you will recognize Him."

Years ago the Lord called our family to homeschool, long before we had children and long before we knew anyone else who did it. But as things don't go as I planned and when I listen to the naysayers around me, I have taken my eyes off of Jesus and what he called me to do. It is the same with the adoption. I remember as clearly now as I did in 2004 when he called us to adopt this baby. YEARS have passed since then, and the Lord's calling hasn't changed; only my eyes have been taken off of him. As the costs escalate and the wait slows tremendously, I have begun to doubt if this is what we are supposed to be doing. It doesn't help when others question your motives and ask "why" and "couldn't you just birth another child if you want more"? But that isn't what the Lord asked of us, he asked us to adopt an orphan! James 1:27 says that "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." To look after orphans may mean different things to different people but God told us that it means for us to adopt!

So as we place our eyes back on Jesus and the calling that has been placed on our lives, we no longer doubt what He has asked of us, but instead we are asking "Is there more"? When we began this journey we just had two girls. We chose to adopt a girl because that is where we were told the need was. Along the way our precious son made his way into our family. I never knew how much I could love a boy, but he has shown me many times over! Lately, the Lord has impressed upon my heart to adopt a little boy. We also realize the little boy may have special needs. I always said I wouldn't adopt child with special needs. Not because I didn't want too or didn't consider it important, but because it didn't seem possible to care for that child in our current family environment. The Lord has apparently been working on our hearts because now it doesn't scare us so much. We have talked extensively with our pediatrician about what needs we as a family would be able to take on. So while we are in the process of refiling our I-797 for the second time and having another homestudy update, we are also looking to refile our intent to adopt petition and request a little boy. We are also submitting our medical checklist with great confidence, keeping our eyes on Jesus.

We are quite excited about these plans and the new paths the Lord is paving for our family. I can't wait to see how his plans continue to unfold for us and share those with my friends in blog land!

Dropping in to tell you about this...

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102

That is the temperature my car read this afternoon. The heat index? 110! We went to the pool! Need I say more?

Stay tuned...

I promise I have a new blog post coming. It has been in the works in my mind for a while. Hopefully it will contain lots of pictures, tons of goodness and a little bit of sweetness. Who knows, I may throw in a dose of surprise as well. In the meantime, I am going to celebrate my birthday, pray our air conditioning gets fixed soon so we can move back home and dream of starting our school year off on the right foot!