While We Wait...

Psalm 130

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning,

more than watchmen for the morning,

O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

All we know at this point is that the US Embassy has started our investigation.  They say it will take 3-6 months and then we will get our final embassy appointment and visa so that our boys can come home.

Waiting is hardest when its unexpected.

Wanna Run?

Anyone game to run a 5K for a great cause??

Chick-Fil-A is hosting a 5K in Brentwood, TN, April 20 to benefit ONEless - a ministry that helps make one less orphan and one less human trafficking.

Go to this link and sign up!

But before you do, watch this video to find out the truth about human trafficking right here in our own state.





Your Backyard from End Slavery TN on Vimeo.

Prayer Guide

8:00
Pray by name for all the families that you know who are in the process of adoption.  Pray for a speedy process.  Pray for adequate funding.  Pray for preparation to meet the needs of their child.  Pray for the adjustment and bonding that must take place in the family.  Pray that their child will be well-cared for during the wait of the process.  Pray for patience.  Pray for guidance.  Pray for increased passion to care for the fatherless.  Pray against fear, worry and anxiety.

9:00
Pray by name for all the families that you know who have adopted children.  Pray for wisdom as they parent a child who has experienced loss unlike biological children.  Pray that their child might have a clear understanding of God as Father and receive it fully.  Pray that they might bond and attach as a family, no matter how long the child has been home.  Pray that they will resist seeing their child as being rescued by them and having expectations of appreciation from their child.  Pray that this family may be surrounded by a strong support group of believers who understand and can help "bear one another's burdens."

10:00
Pray for increased awareness among Christians about the global plight of the fatherless leading to a burning desire to take action on their behalf.

11:00
Pray that the cause of the fatherless would serve as a unifying rallying point for churches around the world thereby bringing about a Christ-honoring unity.

12:00
Pray specifically for countries with orphans who are finding forever homes.  Pray against corruption.  Pray against the devil's schemes that devise against policies and procedures.   Say aloud the names of countries.  Pray that they may open their doors for adoption.  Pray that they may be well-staffed to handle the demands of the adoptions pursued.  Pray that their process may be free of wickedness.

1:00
Pray for the protection of the orphan.  For food.  For clothing.  For love.  For assurance of a God who cares for them.  For hope.  For salvation.  For health.  For shelter.  For forever families.

2:00
Pray for the ministries working among the fatherless - that they would be committed to Kingdom-excellence and vision.  Pray that those working in these ministries and agencies would be prepared to handle the surge of support.  Pray for supernatural unity among these ministries - one that would be a testimony to the unbelieving world.

3:00
Pray for the families who are taking care of their grandchildren, nieces, nephews or foster children in addition to their own children.  Ask the Lord to bless them for their sacrifice and to provide enough food, clothes, education and shelter for all of their children.

4:00
Pray for government leaders here and abroad.  Ask the Lord to burden their hearts for the orphans.  Ask that they would feel compelled to protect and provide for orphans.

5:00
Pray for families who have adopted children with special needs.  Ask the Lord to give them an extra dose of patience, understanding, love and wisdom as they parent these children.  Ask Him to bring resources to them to help ease their load.

6:00
Praise the Lord for your OWN adoption into His family.  Praise Him for the HUGE price that HE paid to bring you from being an orphan into the family of a King.  Praise Him for the sacrifice that He made on your behalf.  Ask Him to give you His heart for orphans.

Adoption is neither easy nor cheap.  It never was intended to be.  The very first adoption was extremely difficult and costly.  It's the nature of adoption.  God knows, because His Son was His cost for us to become part of His forever family.  May we all share in the passions of our adoptive, Heavenly Father.

Scripture Guide

Scripture to Ponder and Meditate On

Ps. 68:4-5

  A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in fmailies, he leads forth the prisoners with singing, but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Deut. 10:17-19

For the LORD your God is a God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.  He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

Ps. 82:3-4 

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.  Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

James 1:22

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.

Ps. 10:14, 17-18

But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand.  THe victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.  You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

Is. 1:17

Learn to do right!  Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.  Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

James 1:27

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after the orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Prayer Guide for Orphan Fast

JOIN ME TODAY IN PRAYING FOR THE ORPHANS!  YOU ARE WELCOME TO USE THE GUIDE BELOW.

9:00
Pray that the Lord would give you a personal sense of responsibility for the next 3 days (and beyond) for praying for orphans, your pastor, your church, and your community.  Ask Him to break your heart for the orphans.  Ask that He would help you to see orphans with His eyes and His heart.  Ask Him to use this 3 day to change you and your church.

10:00
Ask God that of the 2 billion Christians in the world, 7% would show hope to a single orphan, looking after the child in their distress.  Ask the Lord to convict the church around the world that if we did this, there would effectively be no more orphans.  Ask the Lord to show each of His followers that we can each do something.

11:00
Pray for your pastor to have guidance and provision as he seeks to follow the Lord's command to care for the orphans.

12:00
Ask the Lord to help your church and family to feel His heart for the orphans as seen in Ps. 68:5-6 "A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in families...."

1:00
Pray for the fatherless in your community.  Ask the Lord to protect them and to care for them and to defend them and keep them safe.

2:00
Thank the Lord in advance for all that He is going to do to bring glory to His name in your church, family and community.  Thank Him for the care He is going to provide for the orphans.

3:00
Pray for the Lord to raise up workers for the harvest.  Ask Him to call Christians to go to the "fields of the fatherless" to experience the joy of caring for orphans as we are commanded in Is. 1:16-17 "Give up your wicked ways.  Learn to do good.  Seek justice.  Help the oppressed.  Defend the orphan.  Fight for the rights of widows."

4:00
Pray that God would break the hearts of believers with the plight of orphans.  Ask that He would convict them to lead their churches to pray, go and love in Jesus' name.

5:00
Ask the Father to set the lonely in families.  Pray specifically for families in your community who may be in the process of adopting or fostering an orphan.  Ask for God's provision for all of their needs:  physical, emotional and spiritual.

6:00
Pray specifically for any orphans you may know by name.  Pray for their health and safety.  Pray for their shelter.  Pray that they will be brought into loving families who will provide for their education.

Pray & Fast for Orphans

We did our home study through America World.  I got the following email this past week.  I invite any of you to join me in this fast and prayer focus.  I will be posting on particular ways we can pray.

As many of you know, our agency has occasionally taken time to fast and pray on behalf of orphans or a specific issue that affects adoption.  We’re doing so again, and we’re asking anyone who is interested to consider joining us on an “Esther fast” coming up where they can focus for three days by fasting and praying on behalf of orphans.  The idea comes from the Book of Esther, when the Jews fasted and prayed for a particular purpose.  In Esther chapter four, we read: 

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews … and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

Our agency has done similar fasts/prayers, including once specifically focusing on lifting the quota on adoptions in China.  Prior to a delegation traveling to China we fasted and prayed for three days.  Following the delegation, China chose to lift the quota.  I truly believe God heard our prayers during those three days. 

Many of our staff will be participating and we’re writing to you to let you know about this opportunity to join with us.  We’re going to be praying and fasting from March 15-17 and the focus will be:

·        Praying for foreign government officials to be convicted of the harm they are doing to orphaned and vulnerable children stuck in institutions with no opportunity to live in a family;

·        Praying for people around the world to speak up on behalf of orphans and vulnerable children who are hidden from the public and are crying out for a mother and father;

·        Praying for Haiti to lift or significantly increase their quota;

·        Praying for children and families stuck in the middle of Russia’s shutdown; and

·        Praying for wisdom and guidance for our nation’s political leaders to proactively come to the rescue of institutionalized children who have the fundamental right to a family but are being denied by their government.

None of you should feel any obligation to do this; I only encourage you to seek God and see if you feel led to participate.  If you’ve never fasted before, it may seem like a weird or intimidating idea.  There are all sorts of ways to fast, including not eating, skipping particular meals, only drinking juice, only eating fruit & veggies, as well as other ways that you might find to practice this discipline.   It also reminds us that our efforts will result in nothing apart from God and our struggle is a spiritual struggle.  As the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians, “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 

I know our agency staff will be praying for the particular countries where they work and will be praying for families they have served and are serving in the adoption process.   God can, and does, do miracles and we know His love for each orphan surpasses our own.  We are simply vessels He uses to bless families and children.  Thank you for considering joining us.  

Above And Beyond

One of my most favorite verses EVER is Ephesians 3:20-21.  "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably  more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, now and forever.  Amen!

Our matching grant deadline is Wed, March 6.  Today I asked for an update.  We have raised $8,335.07 of the $3,000!  Add $3,000 to that (the matching part) and that is over $11,000.  Add the $5,000 from the other grant we just received and it totals $16,335.07.

I just looked up what our remaining expenses are and here's a breakdown.

Agency Fee:  $9,000
Estimated flight fee for escort and our 2 boys:  $7,100
Re-adoption lawyer:  $1,000

Total estimated remaining costs:  $17,100
Grants + Donations:  $16,335

God is so good!!!  A Humungous thank you to all our friends and family who have given and prayed!! 

Keep praying!!!