Profoundly BLESSED!!!

I have been reading through the book, "The Hole in the Gospel," by the president of World Vision ... AND have once again been reminded of how profoundly BLESSED I am and truly most of us here in North America!!!

I highly reccomend the book, and guarantee that it will inspire & challenge you ... I believe it is another "must read" for ALL followers of Jesus!!

The book has again reminded me of how profoundly BLESSED I AM & also how "to whom much is given, MUCH is required!!" Sam & I have been given SOOOOOO MUCH ... on EVERY level possible & throughout the last year we have been trying to sort out what God is asking of us, in terms of our finances, time, and our family!!! We don't have it fully figured out ... and we will keep "walking!"

Yes, we both believe God has called us to adoption and that this is part of our life ministry but we believe He is calling us to do more!!!

I say this humbly, yes our adoption journeys (financially, emotionally, spiritually) have been challenging (to the core of my being) but HONESTLY I feel like in the end (with Ella & Kody home, and with our Faith now three plus years later having been home) ... we have been completely blessed through EACH one of our children!! For us, our adopted children are OUR CHILDREN and it truly is an HONOR & GIFT to be their forever mom and dad!!!

Yes, adoption requires self-sacrifice I suppose (this I think is the notion I hear from some other people & it is what keeps some from moving forward & yes at certain parts of the journeys it HAS felt that way) ... but now sitting on this side ... I don't feel like I have sacrificed much at all because the blessings in return ... OH MY HEART ... AND we have been given SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!! Now keep in mind that six months into Faith being home from China (and probably even a year to two years into our attachment & adjustment phase ... I honestly would have answered VERY differently ... the couple of years that followed Faith being home were HARD ...)

I guess I am saying that IF God IS stirring your heart to adopt - TRUST HIM - JUMP off the cliff (yes it is a huge faith cliff) ... just DO IT!!!!!!!! You WILL be blessed!!!! Note, I did not say it would be easy (financially you will have to LEAN on God, spiritually when the paperchase is looking like there is no end you will have to LEAN on Him, when your child comes home & perhaps things/he/she doesn't act quite the way you expected & perhaps your heart is also not cooperating the way you expected you will have to LEAN on Him) ...

It will NOT be easy, it will NOT be perfect, it will probably NOT be at all what you expect ... but it WILL be soooooooooooooooooooo worth it!!! 143 million children wait for forever families, waiting for a chance to be unconditionally loved by a family of their own, waiting for families to jump off the cliff & TRUST their Creator & Father!!!!!!!!!

I honestly don't think any other experience in my life has as clearly shown me the HEART of my Father, making the GOSPEL that much more easier to understand!!!!!! Adoption is the gospel, and the gospel is adoption!!

Simultaneously I don't believe adoption should be considered lightly as it is an inherent difficult parenting journey ... you need to BE PREPARED & you need to have realistic expectation of your new child AND yourself ... but ohhhhhhh SO WORTH IT!!!!!

Just wanted to share ... how this MAMMA OF FIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVEEE children ... is feeling truly profoundly BLESSED!!!!!!!