Tonight my family watched a video we own. It was "End of the Spear" which is a true story of 5 missionairies who gave their lives trying to win to Christ a native tribe in Ecuador. If you have not watched the movie, rent it, buy it, borrow it, check it out of the library, just watch it. It is an amazing story of forgiveness and Gods power to overcome. At then end of the movie, the narrator, who is a son of one of the 5 who died, was speaking about his families loss over the years. This story was all over the world news at the time it happened. He said people could always understand and relate to their loss, but they could never understand all they gained. I dont want to give the movie away so I wont say much more than that, but you have to see this movie, please!
As I was thinking about the movie after it was over, I thought of what others might be thinking about us during this adoption journey we are on. I think many will be able to understand all that our child that waits for us, will gain by coming into our family. A place to be loved, to be held, prayed over, laugh alongside with, to be told about the God of the bible who loves them and who died for them so that they may live. I dont think everyone will be able to understand how much my family will gain from this however. God has already begun changing me in many ways. My heart is so tender right now. I know our children are going to be so blessed by their new brother or sister. I think all of our faith will grow by leaps and bounds. To see life as God sees it. To recognize and meet the needs of others. I am so excited to see all that God has for us I can hardly wait to see it unfold.
The christian life is such a parodox. The more we give the more we get. I dont mean that in the sense of dollar for dollar to say it bluntly. Oh no, its not about things. But I would not change what God has done in me these past 6-8 weeks for a mound of gold! So look to our Lord, listen to him.
Yesterday I went on a hike, I ended up by myself as my boys decided to stay home. I went to a park that is fairly isoloated by a pond. I sat there in silence for about 20 minutes, listening to the birds, watching the geese fly in and out. I sat there and I heard God in his still small voice whisper to me, be still and know that I am God. Dont we get so busy we forget to listen to him. When our problems seem to overtake us, shouldnt we run to him. Why do we forget the one who wants to carry our burdens. Lets put our trust in him and dont forget, a life lived and used up for him is a life richly blessed indeed!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
3/29/2008 #3
Maybe you can tell that I am home with nothing much to do. So I think I will make this last post and take my sons on a hike. It looks great outside. But, before I do, I thought I would share one more thought with you, at least until after the hike- haha. Here it is. Are you thinking about giving up, quitting, going back. I have to confess, sometimes I cant see the way through all thats involved with this adoption journey we are on. But I am not turning back. Here are a few pictures to demonstrate what I mean. After all, they say a picture is worth a thousand words right?
Do you see it. The score with no time left on the clock. Ohio State 25, Michigan 21. Those Buckeyes never gave up did they? And they won. Now go back to my question, why did I take that picture of the scoreboard when Ohio State was losing. Because I was expecting a victory. I wanted one of those before and after pictures to remind me of what happened that day. See, God doesnt want us to give up. He is there for us. One of my favorite verses in the bible speaks to this. It is Phillipian chapter 1, verse 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Man I love that verse. I love how its God who began the good work. Not anything we have done. And its God who will finish it. So dont give up, keep on fighting, remember its a marathon not a sprint. And thanks for letting me finally figure out a way to include a bit of sports into this blog. Things were getting a little too serious in here anyway. Im just glad he let me use a Buckeye thumping of that team up north in this illustration. Isnt God good!
Can you see it. I took this picture in Ann Arbor Michigan. I was sitting watching the Ohio State vs Michigan game. My beloved Buckeyes we down, 21-19 with 47 seconds left on the clock. I was sitting right in the middle of some season ticket holders for Michigan. Talk about being surrounded by naysayers! Ask yourself why I took this picture, really think about it. Now look at this picture.
Do you see it. The score with no time left on the clock. Ohio State 25, Michigan 21. Those Buckeyes never gave up did they? And they won. Now go back to my question, why did I take that picture of the scoreboard when Ohio State was losing. Because I was expecting a victory. I wanted one of those before and after pictures to remind me of what happened that day. See, God doesnt want us to give up. He is there for us. One of my favorite verses in the bible speaks to this. It is Phillipian chapter 1, verse 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Man I love that verse. I love how its God who began the good work. Not anything we have done. And its God who will finish it. So dont give up, keep on fighting, remember its a marathon not a sprint. And thanks for letting me finally figure out a way to include a bit of sports into this blog. Things were getting a little too serious in here anyway. Im just glad he let me use a Buckeye thumping of that team up north in this illustration. Isnt God good!
Go Buckeyes!
3/29/2008 # 2
I saw this on another blog from a family that adopted from Ethiopia. I had to share this because it is really something to think about. If you feel that God may be calling you to adopt, please consider this fathers words, they are eloquent.
You are doing such a good thing
You are doing such a good thing." "It is wonderful. We all are so proud of you.""You’re a good man, Charlie Brown."All of these things and more have been said to me. Each time I smile, nod, and say an honest, "Thank you." But I wince inside.I don't wince because the people are not genuine; just the opposite is true. And not because I am too humble to receive the praise; sadly I am not. For a long time I was not even sure why I was troubled. It has been something that I have been thinking about for months now.Other "good deeds" that I carry out elicit no such response from people. Nobody comments on the common or the expected nice things that I do. When I loan out my truck, the recipient thanks me. No one else thanks me, because loaning out a truck is a common good deed for truck owners. When I take my son Buddy to the emergency room there is no fanfare because although the deed is uncommon (well, sort of), it is expected.But adopting orphans from Ethiopia. Now there is an event that is neither common nor expected. And so it is noteworthy. "You are doing such a good thing," they say.Now I understand why the comment makes me wince. When someone speaks those words it testifies to the fact that what I am doing is uncommon and unexpected.But the need is so great. The children are so beautiful. Life is so precious. They are "made in the image of God." Why should caring for orphans be uncommon and unexpected?I dream of a world where all children are cherished. A world where we spend more time and energy securing the future of the world's children than securing the future of the world's oil reserves. A world where caring for orphans is common and expected. I dream of a world where it would not occur to anyone to say, "Your doing such a good thing" to an orphan-adopting dad. Here is the link to this post-
http://welovebigfamilies.blogspot.com/2007/05/crazyds-icca.html.
His words say it all. Please consider what you can do.
Is it perhaps the love of things, free time, vacation, you name it that holds you back. Here is another post from this same dad on the subject of materialism.
Materialism
An Ethiopian adoption changes things in more ways than just having additional kids in the house. My perception of my own materialism has also been changing. When we were in Ethiopia visiting with some new missionary friends, they spoke of the effort it took to sell all that they had in order to free themselves from America: the business, the primary house, the cars, the beds, the couches, the blenders, the tools, the lawn mower. . . They did not sell all that they had. They kept the second home, the photos, and the family heirlooms. They also kept a host of other things that makes them really wealthy: access to clean water, access to health care, and access to bank accounts. This family tells me that many Ethiopians want to come to America - to be Americans. Americans have so much icca, "stuff" in Amharic. And they want icca, too. They want icca? I want less icca. They don't know what if feels like to be claustrophobic in a multi-thousand square foot home. Our home is only cleaned up if everything is skillfully packed/stacked/stored into closets/corners/crawl spaces with the same care as packing a suitcase. But when I am honest with myself, I realize that I don't want less of my stuff. I want less of the kids' stuff and less of CrazyMom's stuff. My stuff is already trim. What I have, I tell myself, is necessary and important. I want to clear the house of all of the junk. The McDonald's Happy Meal toys, the birthday party grab bag items, participation trophies, broken toys of sentimental value, rarely used placemats, half of CrazyMom's shoes, and the fish. But now, in my post-adoptive state, I am beginning to realize that I am the one with the icca problem. The solution to my icca problem is not to pick up a copy of "Storage Systems for Success" or "The Art of Clutter Clearing." This is not the solution because even if the clutter were cleared and the rest was neat and tidy, I would still have an icca problem. My problem is that I use my limited time and resources to take care of my stuff. It was not just my trip to Ethiopia that changed my thinking, it was adopting. Adopting Ethiopian children has given me a heart for the people of Ethiopia in a way that just traveling there would not. In my home I now get to see Ethiopian children side-by-side with all of my icca, and all of the icca is pretty icky compared to them. I now realize that I have bought into the American lie while believing I had not. The American lie tells me that I need something that I don't have, right now, and that that something will make my life a little better/happier/easier/more fulfilling. That a new gas grill will in some way satisfy me more than sponsoring an orphan in need. I have always told myself that I am not materialistic. I don't drive fancy cars, we shop at thrift stores, I would rather go to jail than to a mall, and I don't own an iPod - yet. But I now realize that this is not true. I am materialistic. Look at what I own. And deep inside of me I am beginning to feel that there is some conflict between what I own and my desire to care for orphans. A conflict between owning stuff and helping orphans? In America, this is an absurd thing to say. These things don't seem mutually exclusive. In America, it seems the more I own the more I will be able to give away. But now I am beginning to wonder. In my hands I see all of the worldly possessions that I own and my fingers are wrapped around them. All around me I see people in need and I want to lend a hand. But I can't. My hands are full. No time for Johnny who is hurting. I need to mow/mulch/trim/pull weeds/spray/fertilize. No time for Sally who is down. I need to pick up/repair/refinish/rearrange/install. No time to care for God's people. I need to care for my stuff. Christ stood on the edge of the Sea of Galilee. He called to Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Here is what Scripture says that they did: "And they immediately left their nets, and followed him." (Matt 5:20) They left it all behind. Nets, boats, and fishing gear are the things that keeps us from being able to go along with Christ. Michael Card has a song about this scene with the line:
"And it's hard to imagine the freedom we find From the things we leave behind" Father God, I pray that you will cause my fingers to uncurl so that my hands are free to do Your work in this world. Amen.
1 life to give
Here is the link for this post- http://welovebigfamilies.blogspot.com/2007/05/crazyds-icca.html
You are doing such a good thing
You are doing such a good thing." "It is wonderful. We all are so proud of you.""You’re a good man, Charlie Brown."All of these things and more have been said to me. Each time I smile, nod, and say an honest, "Thank you." But I wince inside.I don't wince because the people are not genuine; just the opposite is true. And not because I am too humble to receive the praise; sadly I am not. For a long time I was not even sure why I was troubled. It has been something that I have been thinking about for months now.Other "good deeds" that I carry out elicit no such response from people. Nobody comments on the common or the expected nice things that I do. When I loan out my truck, the recipient thanks me. No one else thanks me, because loaning out a truck is a common good deed for truck owners. When I take my son Buddy to the emergency room there is no fanfare because although the deed is uncommon (well, sort of), it is expected.But adopting orphans from Ethiopia. Now there is an event that is neither common nor expected. And so it is noteworthy. "You are doing such a good thing," they say.Now I understand why the comment makes me wince. When someone speaks those words it testifies to the fact that what I am doing is uncommon and unexpected.But the need is so great. The children are so beautiful. Life is so precious. They are "made in the image of God." Why should caring for orphans be uncommon and unexpected?I dream of a world where all children are cherished. A world where we spend more time and energy securing the future of the world's children than securing the future of the world's oil reserves. A world where caring for orphans is common and expected. I dream of a world where it would not occur to anyone to say, "Your doing such a good thing" to an orphan-adopting dad. Here is the link to this post-
http://welovebigfamilies.blogspot.com/2007/05/crazyds-icca.html.
His words say it all. Please consider what you can do.
Is it perhaps the love of things, free time, vacation, you name it that holds you back. Here is another post from this same dad on the subject of materialism.
Materialism
An Ethiopian adoption changes things in more ways than just having additional kids in the house. My perception of my own materialism has also been changing. When we were in Ethiopia visiting with some new missionary friends, they spoke of the effort it took to sell all that they had in order to free themselves from America: the business, the primary house, the cars, the beds, the couches, the blenders, the tools, the lawn mower. . . They did not sell all that they had. They kept the second home, the photos, and the family heirlooms. They also kept a host of other things that makes them really wealthy: access to clean water, access to health care, and access to bank accounts. This family tells me that many Ethiopians want to come to America - to be Americans. Americans have so much icca, "stuff" in Amharic. And they want icca, too. They want icca? I want less icca. They don't know what if feels like to be claustrophobic in a multi-thousand square foot home. Our home is only cleaned up if everything is skillfully packed/stacked/stored into closets/corners/crawl spaces with the same care as packing a suitcase. But when I am honest with myself, I realize that I don't want less of my stuff. I want less of the kids' stuff and less of CrazyMom's stuff. My stuff is already trim. What I have, I tell myself, is necessary and important. I want to clear the house of all of the junk. The McDonald's Happy Meal toys, the birthday party grab bag items, participation trophies, broken toys of sentimental value, rarely used placemats, half of CrazyMom's shoes, and the fish. But now, in my post-adoptive state, I am beginning to realize that I am the one with the icca problem. The solution to my icca problem is not to pick up a copy of "Storage Systems for Success" or "The Art of Clutter Clearing." This is not the solution because even if the clutter were cleared and the rest was neat and tidy, I would still have an icca problem. My problem is that I use my limited time and resources to take care of my stuff. It was not just my trip to Ethiopia that changed my thinking, it was adopting. Adopting Ethiopian children has given me a heart for the people of Ethiopia in a way that just traveling there would not. In my home I now get to see Ethiopian children side-by-side with all of my icca, and all of the icca is pretty icky compared to them. I now realize that I have bought into the American lie while believing I had not. The American lie tells me that I need something that I don't have, right now, and that that something will make my life a little better/happier/easier/more fulfilling. That a new gas grill will in some way satisfy me more than sponsoring an orphan in need. I have always told myself that I am not materialistic. I don't drive fancy cars, we shop at thrift stores, I would rather go to jail than to a mall, and I don't own an iPod - yet. But I now realize that this is not true. I am materialistic. Look at what I own. And deep inside of me I am beginning to feel that there is some conflict between what I own and my desire to care for orphans. A conflict between owning stuff and helping orphans? In America, this is an absurd thing to say. These things don't seem mutually exclusive. In America, it seems the more I own the more I will be able to give away. But now I am beginning to wonder. In my hands I see all of the worldly possessions that I own and my fingers are wrapped around them. All around me I see people in need and I want to lend a hand. But I can't. My hands are full. No time for Johnny who is hurting. I need to mow/mulch/trim/pull weeds/spray/fertilize. No time for Sally who is down. I need to pick up/repair/refinish/rearrange/install. No time to care for God's people. I need to care for my stuff. Christ stood on the edge of the Sea of Galilee. He called to Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Here is what Scripture says that they did: "And they immediately left their nets, and followed him." (Matt 5:20) They left it all behind. Nets, boats, and fishing gear are the things that keeps us from being able to go along with Christ. Michael Card has a song about this scene with the line:
"And it's hard to imagine the freedom we find From the things we leave behind" Father God, I pray that you will cause my fingers to uncurl so that my hands are free to do Your work in this world. Amen.
1 life to give
Here is the link for this post- http://welovebigfamilies.blogspot.com/2007/05/crazyds-icca.html
3/29/2008
I saw a video on youtube of a song Sara Groves wrote about her trip to Rwanda. It captures my heart. It tells of what happened to me first in the Domincan Republic, then again what God showed me in Chicago at Founders Week. I hope it challenges each of us who consider its message. I especially want you all to know that " I do what I do with deep conviction" as Sara sings towards the end of this song. God has burdened my heart, how can I but follow his call. Here is the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSdP6PqsbJY
Friday, March 28, 2008
3/28/2008 # 2
Today I bought a used door for my car. During the blizzard of a few weeks ago I slipped into our mailbox post and destroyed my mirror. The door itself needed repair for quite some time as it would only open from the inside. I had to open the drivers side rear door and reach through to open it. Once I realized I could get a used door and fix both the mirror and door opening issue at once I decided to go this route. So anyway, I found a gentlemen in the Mr. Thrifty today as I took a 1/2 day vacation. I picked up the door and went to his place to have it fixed. After about a hour and a half it was completed. The thing is the door is green. The rest of my car is maroon. Later this evening around 6pm I went over to my friend Terry's house to help him tear up his old carpet. He is remodeling his old home that he moved out of in December trying to rent / sell it. As I was walking in, I looked at my car and I was struck with something. I had been planning on painting the door the same color as the rest of the car. Now I am not so sure. I started to think about our adoption of an Ethiopian child. Obviously this child is going to be black not white like the rest of his family will be. I started pondering that whole issue. As I was riding home later I was thinking of a song we used to sing as kids. Jesus loves the little children. Do you remember hearing this song as a child? The words that I was thinking of are. " Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world." As I thought of what those words really meant, I wondered when did we stop believing that? Did we ever believe that? When did we stop believing in Gods dream? Why do we spend all of our time with people just like us? Do we realize that heaven is going to be such an awesome place where all of Gods children worship him together? Why is the most segregated time in our country on Sunday morning? Why do we allow Satan to win in this area of race so often? I think the sin of racism is one that God really hates. I know all sin is just that sin, but man, how do we think God can use us if we harbor this great sin whether silently or right out in the open?
As I think more about that door, I think Im going to keep it just like it is. I want it to remind me every day that Jesus does in fact love the little children. All the children of the world. How about you? So if you see me driving by, just wave, dont ask yourself why I havent painted the green door red. Maybe, just maybe, God will use my door to remind you that he loves all people, no matter who they are or what color he painted them. Shouldnt we do the same?
As I think more about that door, I think Im going to keep it just like it is. I want it to remind me every day that Jesus does in fact love the little children. All the children of the world. How about you? So if you see me driving by, just wave, dont ask yourself why I havent painted the green door red. Maybe, just maybe, God will use my door to remind you that he loves all people, no matter who they are or what color he painted them. Shouldnt we do the same?
3/28/2008
I thought I would explain to everyone the process involved in what we are doing as well as the cost breakdown to show everyone the path we are on.
The first thing we have to do is apply with the agency. The reason we have not yet done so is some of whats involved is time sensitive. If we get the ball rolling and we get to a point where we dont have enough funds, it goes on hold. Much of this would still be ok, some forms etc may have to be done over with possible additional costs. The cost to apply is $100. We are thinking about doing this, maybe yet this week, just not sure yet. Once we are approved, which will only take a week or so, then we have a $700 approval fee plus we need to pay a $200 home study application fee. The home study then costs $1800. We will need to apply for our passports which cost arounf $100-200 I believe. I have not checked on this yet to be exact. There are post placement fees that are $600-800. Some governement forms, CIS I 600A & fingerprinting $830, SOS / Dept of State / Ethiopia Embassy $398. A dossier fee of $3600, this is a mound of paperwork as I understand it. There is a $5800 referral fee to Ethiopia, in Country fees of $1005, and then travel expenses which are roughly $3000-5400 depending on all involved. The agency has said that there are other families that go out on faith like we are and wait for the funds to come in to go on to the next step. This is probably what we are going to do to get this started. Hope this isnt too confusing, I just thought it would be good to show all thats involved.
The first thing we have to do is apply with the agency. The reason we have not yet done so is some of whats involved is time sensitive. If we get the ball rolling and we get to a point where we dont have enough funds, it goes on hold. Much of this would still be ok, some forms etc may have to be done over with possible additional costs. The cost to apply is $100. We are thinking about doing this, maybe yet this week, just not sure yet. Once we are approved, which will only take a week or so, then we have a $700 approval fee plus we need to pay a $200 home study application fee. The home study then costs $1800. We will need to apply for our passports which cost arounf $100-200 I believe. I have not checked on this yet to be exact. There are post placement fees that are $600-800. Some governement forms, CIS I 600A & fingerprinting $830, SOS / Dept of State / Ethiopia Embassy $398. A dossier fee of $3600, this is a mound of paperwork as I understand it. There is a $5800 referral fee to Ethiopia, in Country fees of $1005, and then travel expenses which are roughly $3000-5400 depending on all involved. The agency has said that there are other families that go out on faith like we are and wait for the funds to come in to go on to the next step. This is probably what we are going to do to get this started. Hope this isnt too confusing, I just thought it would be good to show all thats involved.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
3/25/2008
Someone recently said to me something like, " You know we cant fix all the evils in the world". I remember how I felt when I heard that, it didnt make me all that happy. I of course know this to be true, but I think its so easy to because a problem such as the world orphan crisis is so large to become apathetic. To begin to believe there is nothing that I can do myself about a particular problem. I found a poem on another Ethiopian adoption blog, (wow my blog needs work after seeing this one) that captures how I feel about this. You probably have heard this before but I want to share it with everyone nonetheless. Here it is.
Starfish Poem
As I walked along the seashore
This young boy greeted me.
He was tossing stranded starfish
Back to the deep blue sea.
I said, 'Tell me why you bother,
Why you waste your time this way.
There's a million stranded starfish
Does it matter, anyway?'
And he said, 'It matters to this one.
It deserves a chance to grow.
It matters to this one.
I can't save them all I know.
But it matters to this one,
I'll return it to the sea.
It matters to this one,
And it matters to me.'
-- Anonymous
This reminds me of a scene in a movie, the movie is "The Core". Its an end of the world type of a movie. There is a group of high level scientists trying to save the world. The leader is having a tough time, he is frantic and basically losing his composure. His good friend who is one of the scientists working with him has 2 children. He tells his friend that his problem is that the problem is too big. He tells him that he is trying to do too much, that he is trying to save the world. He tells him that he is just trying to save his 2 kids. I think that sentiment speaks to what I am trying to say here. I know I cant fix every wrong in the world. I cant solve every problem, remedy every injustice. But I can be faithful to the call that God has given me. To help at least one child. Thats what I intend to do!
Starfish Poem
As I walked along the seashore
This young boy greeted me.
He was tossing stranded starfish
Back to the deep blue sea.
I said, 'Tell me why you bother,
Why you waste your time this way.
There's a million stranded starfish
Does it matter, anyway?'
And he said, 'It matters to this one.
It deserves a chance to grow.
It matters to this one.
I can't save them all I know.
But it matters to this one,
I'll return it to the sea.
It matters to this one,
And it matters to me.'
-- Anonymous
This reminds me of a scene in a movie, the movie is "The Core". Its an end of the world type of a movie. There is a group of high level scientists trying to save the world. The leader is having a tough time, he is frantic and basically losing his composure. His good friend who is one of the scientists working with him has 2 children. He tells his friend that his problem is that the problem is too big. He tells him that he is trying to do too much, that he is trying to save the world. He tells him that he is just trying to save his 2 kids. I think that sentiment speaks to what I am trying to say here. I know I cant fix every wrong in the world. I cant solve every problem, remedy every injustice. But I can be faithful to the call that God has given me. To help at least one child. Thats what I intend to do!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
3/23/2008 Easter Sunday
Its Easter Sunday evening, we had a small get together at our house today with my mom, my brother and some friends of ours. It was a good day. Service this morning was great. The service started with a video and it briefly touched on hope for widows and orphans. It made me smile as I was walking down the aisle to get to my seat as I was late from shaking hands all over the auditorium. Then the choir sang a song where the opening verse spoke of children needing the love of mothers which to me was an obvious reference to orphans again. It was in the context of people withour hope. With God their is always hope! Lisa my wife told me later she knew earlier in the week about this song as the practiced it in choir but she purposely held back on me. She wanted me to experience it without any previoue knowlege. She was right, it did its work on me, I had tears in my eyes. I just got the words from my wife so I thought I would share the opening verse. The name of the song is " There is a hope".
There is a hope
Do you see the people in the streets
begging for a piece of bread
They have no place they can call their own
no place to rest, to lay their heads
Do you hear voices of little children
crying for a mother's love
They are lkeft to face this world, all by themselves
but they're not alone, and they need to know that there is a hope
no matter what happens, there is a hope
This song really touched me. I just want God to use us to bring hope to a child who without Gods intervention, will be forced to suffer and be all alone in the world.
There is a hope
Do you see the people in the streets
begging for a piece of bread
They have no place they can call their own
no place to rest, to lay their heads
Do you hear voices of little children
crying for a mother's love
They are lkeft to face this world, all by themselves
but they're not alone, and they need to know that there is a hope
no matter what happens, there is a hope
This song really touched me. I just want God to use us to bring hope to a child who without Gods intervention, will be forced to suffer and be all alone in the world.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
3/22/2008
I hope to someday go to Ethiopia on a missions trip. Perhaps with my brothers and sisters at my church. I dream of doing something to help by maybe building a orphanage, repairing an existing one, digging a well for some remote area. Just to serve would be such a priviledge. I found this video from another agency that captures much of my heart in this regard. Who knows, maybe some day my wife and I will be missionairies to Ethiopia. Anyway, here is the link to the video. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Scroll down and click on the video to play it. Its about 8 minutes long.
http://www.allgodschildren.org/sponsorship/home_sponsorship/hannahs_hope_ethiopia/
http://www.allgodschildren.org/sponsorship/home_sponsorship/hannahs_hope_ethiopia/
Thursday, March 20, 2008
3/20/2007 # 2
I wanted to add this thought before I go to bed tonight. I was just listening to the song by Casting Crowns, " Voice of truth". I wanted to share those lyrics on the blog but before I do, please imagine your us right now. You know God has called you to adopt a child you have never met from a country several thousand miles away where you have never been. You already have 4 kids and you certainly dont have the $20,000 needed to adopt right now. Imagine all of the things that would go through your mind, imagine how you would think of what others may be thinking about you. Imagine the mountain of paperwork and fund raising etc in front of us. I could go on and on. Now listen to the words of this song.
Voice of Truth
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand
But the waves are calling out my name And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again.
"Boy, you'll never win!""You'll never win!"
Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!
"The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
Oh what I would do to have The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out my name And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling meTime and time again.
"Boy you'll never win!""You'll never win!"
Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!
"The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
But the stone was just the right sizeTo put the giant on the groundAnd the waves they don't seem so highFrom on top of them lookin' downI will soar with the wings of eaglesWhen I stop and listen to the sound of JesusSinging over me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
-End of song-
I love the idea that this is for his glory. We have no business adopting another child with 4 kids at home. We cant with our own eyes see the "plan" where all the money will come from. We do however choose to listen to the voice of truth!
How about you? What giant are you facing? Do you know the one who is the voice of truth? He is calling out your name, will you listen and respond? Will you believe when all others around you walk away? To God be the glory great things he hath done and great things he will do!
Voice of Truth
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand
But the waves are calling out my name And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again.
"Boy, you'll never win!""You'll never win!"
Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!
"The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
Oh what I would do to have The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out my name And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling meTime and time again.
"Boy you'll never win!""You'll never win!"
Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!
"The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
But the stone was just the right sizeTo put the giant on the groundAnd the waves they don't seem so highFrom on top of them lookin' downI will soar with the wings of eaglesWhen I stop and listen to the sound of JesusSinging over me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
-End of song-
I love the idea that this is for his glory. We have no business adopting another child with 4 kids at home. We cant with our own eyes see the "plan" where all the money will come from. We do however choose to listen to the voice of truth!
How about you? What giant are you facing? Do you know the one who is the voice of truth? He is calling out your name, will you listen and respond? Will you believe when all others around you walk away? To God be the glory great things he hath done and great things he will do!
3/20/2008
I was watching videos tonight ( you guessed it- youtube again) and I came across a video titled " One More". Its a video that speaks to the great need in the world for so many orphaned children. Sometimes the magnitude of the problem is overwhelming to think about. The videos message is do you have room in your heart for just one more? My wife and I have 4 children, ages 17,15, 11, and 9. God has made room in our hearts for at least one more. How about you? Will you consider adopting a child here in the U.S. perhaps from the foster care program? Will you consider adopting internationally? Will you open your heart to Gods leading? I am not saying adoption is for everyone, but can you donate to people like my family who only need the money to adopt to do it. Will you get involved bt sponsoring a child monthly perhaps somewhere where the basics of food and shelter are so in need. There is so much we all could be doing, find a need and do what you can to meet it. Here is the link to the video-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6di5hQUtV4
While I was wactching this tonight my mind went to a movie I saw once, " Schindlers List". It is the true story told about a man named Schindler who was able to save many Jews from the holocaust during WWII. I remember at the end of the movie, Schindler is leaving the over 1100 people he was able to save, there is a moment where he breaks down and begins to sob. He looks at his car and says why did he keep that car, it could have saved 10 people had he sold it, a gold pin on his suit could have saved one more had he sold it, he wonders aloud how many more he could have saved. He says that he made so much money in his life and for what? The words that are haunting are the words he says, " I could've got more out".
What makes a man cry out after such effort, wishing only he could have done more? Where are the Schindlers today? Dont extraordinary events call for extraordinary action? I dont want to at the end of my life wish I could have time back to do more for others. I want God to use me up for his glory and to serve others. And you know what the amazing thing is, when we live like this for God, we arent used up, we are filled up. The world does not understand the joy of the Lord, how can they when so many of us who name the name of Christ are more concerned about our next automobile lease than we are on providing a new lease on life for someone in our world. Can we spend a little more time helping our neighbor, sharing Jesus with them, comforting them in their time of sorrow. I can guarantee you if we do, our lives will be so full with the love of God we will have wished we would have started living for him so much sooner. God bless you all!
While I was wactching this tonight my mind went to a movie I saw once, " Schindlers List". It is the true story told about a man named Schindler who was able to save many Jews from the holocaust during WWII. I remember at the end of the movie, Schindler is leaving the over 1100 people he was able to save, there is a moment where he breaks down and begins to sob. He looks at his car and says why did he keep that car, it could have saved 10 people had he sold it, a gold pin on his suit could have saved one more had he sold it, he wonders aloud how many more he could have saved. He says that he made so much money in his life and for what? The words that are haunting are the words he says, " I could've got more out".
What makes a man cry out after such effort, wishing only he could have done more? Where are the Schindlers today? Dont extraordinary events call for extraordinary action? I dont want to at the end of my life wish I could have time back to do more for others. I want God to use me up for his glory and to serve others. And you know what the amazing thing is, when we live like this for God, we arent used up, we are filled up. The world does not understand the joy of the Lord, how can they when so many of us who name the name of Christ are more concerned about our next automobile lease than we are on providing a new lease on life for someone in our world. Can we spend a little more time helping our neighbor, sharing Jesus with them, comforting them in their time of sorrow. I can guarantee you if we do, our lives will be so full with the love of God we will have wished we would have started living for him so much sooner. God bless you all!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
3/19/2008
Tonight we visited with our friends after church. We dropper their daughter off as she went to church with us tonight. My daughter Hope and her have been friends basically since they were babies. Our friends some time ago had a charity dinner / auction to raise funds for their friend who had cancer. We aksed questions on how items were donated etc, how to go about it exactly. I think we now have a general idea of what to do. We hope to have one of these at our church sometime in the next few months. It will of course depend on the time it takes to get it all organized.
If anyone reading this has any ideas or items they may want to donate please let us know. Also, I would love to hear if anyone has any comments on any of my posts. It would encourage me to hear that any part of this blog may have helped someone else. Just click on the add comments icon below each post. Our email address is gwest06@earthlink.net and feel free to email us at any time.
If anyone reading this has any ideas or items they may want to donate please let us know. Also, I would love to hear if anyone has any comments on any of my posts. It would encourage me to hear that any part of this blog may have helped someone else. Just click on the add comments icon below each post. Our email address is gwest06@earthlink.net and feel free to email us at any time.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
3/18/2008 # 2
Tonight I watched this video on youtube. It is Steven Curtis Chapman singing one of his songs. It s about adoption, he adopted from China. The song is " When Love Takes You In". It reminds me of how God took me in when I did not deserve it. Here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=demRHgul2Zk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=demRHgul2Zk
3/18/2008
Tonight I was looking on youtube again. I wanted to learn a little more of the history of the country. I found a video that is in 3 parts about 8-9 minutes each. An Ethiopian man shares a little of the history of his country. What I really enjoyed though was his testimony. He grew up as a preachers kid. He spoke of how his family sacrificed to help others and how he did not like that. He wanted things for himself. He spoke of how as he grew older and became an adult, how his life spilled over into a lifestyle that left him empty and without real joy. Sure the things of this world can give pleasure for a season, but the residue it leaves in its wake is emptiness. He goes on to tell of how he came to God and became a minister himself now. I wanted to share this so here are the links. I hope that in some of us, his testimony will stir a desire to be more like Christ for those of us saved, and to become a Christian for those who are not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mclwqTiVh1c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKQQML7a8ko&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6e5LpNS4eI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mclwqTiVh1c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKQQML7a8ko&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6e5LpNS4eI&feature=related
Sunday, March 16, 2008
3/16/2008
The last few days I have been thinking about prayer. The concept of pouring out our hearts to God begging him to intercede on our behalf has become more alive to me than ever. Watching some of the amazing adoption videos over the past few days my minds eye keeps slipping back to one paricular image. It was an older Ethiopian women bowing in what looked to be earnest prayer. I was struck with the thought of her asking God to send families to her country. Families willing to adopt her countries children to love them and share the love of God with them. In my mind then the scene shifts to a scene somewhere in 2004/2005 when God arranges for me to go on a missions trip. My heart is first burdened there for the children of such poverty. How God planted a seed in my heart forgotten by me off and on for a few years. Then I consider a man of God preparing somehwere in Arkansas for a message he is called upon to proclaim one Friday morning in Chicago. God arranges for me to be in that very place to hear that message he has for me that day. I think of Gods Holy Spirit working on my heart, reminding me in the next few days and weeks of what I saw on that missions trip. Gently and daily showing me the way. Faithfully affirming his call in so many amazing ways as the days go by. I go back then in my minds eye to that faithful servant of God who one day earnestly pleaded with our Lord to send someone to her country. I look forward one day to meeting this lady, to hug her and cry with her. To thank her for begging God to move in the hearts of his people once again. I keep singing these past few weeks a song I heard many years ago. God still moves in the hearts of his people. I am thankful that God still moves.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
3/13/2008
Tonight I was feeling a little bit low so I went to youtube for some encouragement. I typed in adoption videos then Ethiopian adoption videos. Wow! Talk about encouraged. I must have watched over 10 videos almost all accompanied with songs. As I was watching them I was thinking of Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1. It says:
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
This verse follows chapter 11 which is known in the bible as the faith chapter. Its filled with words of encouragement from many characters in the Bible who through faith made it through. I love how God includes people in there who failed many times, people who were really just like you and I and have every day struggles. I especially love how he includes Rahab who was a prostitute but through faith was changed. See, God can take anyone and make them clean and will use them for his glory and their benefit. He loves us all so much, he died for us. What more could we ask. So just like these soldiers of our God encourage us in our walk of faith, I went out seeking encouragement tonight from those who have gone before in the adoption journey we now find ourselves in. Needless to say, God did not let me down. He showed up and showed off again. ( are we getting the theme here? ) So here are the links to my favorite videos I watched tonight. I hope they touch your heart as they did mine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3MdQP3OK4s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR-1yN__fZo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3pKzBK2Dec&feature=related
This next one really meant something to me. It plays the song "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns my favorite group. The first Sunday back from the missions trip I went on in 2005, Terry P played the testimony from the lead singer of his life, how he faced many giants in his life and with God always won. I remember how I was still filled with emotion from the trip, and thanking God he gave me the courage to go on that trip. See, I was afraid to go in many ways. I didnt know what I could really do to help once there as I have no real mechanical skills, I was worried about what it would be like etc etc. God really began a work on me that trip and that song and the testimony I heard for the first time really spoke to my heart. The other cool thing about this video, the family adopting in it brought their children home on March 15, 2007. March 15 is my birthday! There he goes again... here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRZQray_Ng0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Mrb70TzZE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiOUO0i2v08
Dont ever forget, God loves you!
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
This verse follows chapter 11 which is known in the bible as the faith chapter. Its filled with words of encouragement from many characters in the Bible who through faith made it through. I love how God includes people in there who failed many times, people who were really just like you and I and have every day struggles. I especially love how he includes Rahab who was a prostitute but through faith was changed. See, God can take anyone and make them clean and will use them for his glory and their benefit. He loves us all so much, he died for us. What more could we ask. So just like these soldiers of our God encourage us in our walk of faith, I went out seeking encouragement tonight from those who have gone before in the adoption journey we now find ourselves in. Needless to say, God did not let me down. He showed up and showed off again. ( are we getting the theme here? ) So here are the links to my favorite videos I watched tonight. I hope they touch your heart as they did mine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3MdQP3OK4s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR-1yN__fZo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3pKzBK2Dec&feature=related
This next one really meant something to me. It plays the song "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns my favorite group. The first Sunday back from the missions trip I went on in 2005, Terry P played the testimony from the lead singer of his life, how he faced many giants in his life and with God always won. I remember how I was still filled with emotion from the trip, and thanking God he gave me the courage to go on that trip. See, I was afraid to go in many ways. I didnt know what I could really do to help once there as I have no real mechanical skills, I was worried about what it would be like etc etc. God really began a work on me that trip and that song and the testimony I heard for the first time really spoke to my heart. The other cool thing about this video, the family adopting in it brought their children home on March 15, 2007. March 15 is my birthday! There he goes again... here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRZQray_Ng0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Mrb70TzZE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiOUO0i2v08
Dont ever forget, God loves you!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
3/12/2008
I heard this song coming home from work the other night and its words brought a deeper understanding to me now of how deep Gods love is for all his children. For him to orchestrate in my heart a call for an unkown child all the way in Ethiopia blows my mind. The song was "He Reigns" by News Boys. Here are the words.
He reigns
It’s the song of the redeemed
Rising from the African plain
It’s the song of the forgiven
Drowning out the Amazon rain
The song of Asian believers
Filled with God’s holy fire
It’s every tribe, every tongue, every nation
A love song born of a grateful choir
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
Let it rise about the four winds
Caught up in the heavenly sound
Let praises echo from the towers of cathedrals
To the faithful gathered underground
Of all the songs sung from the dawn of creation
Some were meant to persist
Of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples
None rings truer than this
And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word
When all God’s children sing out
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
All God’s people singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
To watch an awesome video of this song on Youtube go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vt-b3iDSlI.
He reigns
It’s the song of the redeemed
Rising from the African plain
It’s the song of the forgiven
Drowning out the Amazon rain
The song of Asian believers
Filled with God’s holy fire
It’s every tribe, every tongue, every nation
A love song born of a grateful choir
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
Let it rise about the four winds
Caught up in the heavenly sound
Let praises echo from the towers of cathedrals
To the faithful gathered underground
Of all the songs sung from the dawn of creation
Some were meant to persist
Of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples
None rings truer than this
And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word
When all God’s children sing out
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
All God’s people singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
To watch an awesome video of this song on Youtube go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vt-b3iDSlI.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
3/11/2008
It is about 10pm and I just finished watching 2 videos from the missions trip I went on to the Dominican Republic in 2005. Teresa came over and gave us the videos and the camcorder to watch them on. It was neat to finally watch these. I think I only ever saw a little bit of one of the videos. At the end of the last video, the 3 of us that went spoke of what impacted us the most. What our first impressions were and how we think we will be different. I am glad that God has not given up on me and is still using in part what he taught me that week. It is really here where God first put the thought of adopting in my heart. I remember thinking how those kids were in such need and that Lisa and I should do something to help. While Ethiopia is not the Dominican, I know that there is even greater need there for so many orphaned children. Children that God loves and wants to find a forever family for. We continue to pray that our family will be one of those forever families and that we will be able to share our love and his love with our child God has for us.
Monday, March 10, 2008
3/10/2008
I thought I would share some statistics I found on another adoption blog about orphans both domestically here in the U.S. and also internationally.
In America, there are more than half a million children in the foster system, this represents a 90% increase from the year 1987. 12-18 months after aging out of the foster care system: 27% of males and 10% of females have been incarcerated, 33% were receiving public assistance, 37% had not finished high school, 50% were unemployed. Children in foster care are 11 times more likely to be abused in a foster home than they are in their own home. 80% of prison inmates have spent time in the foster care system. I wonder if more true believers in Christ who knew how to share the love of Christ were involved in foster care, could these numbers be changed?
Now here are some statistics from overseas: Every 15 seconds another child becomes an Aids orphan in Africa. Every day 5,760 more children become orphans in Africa. Every year 2,102,400 more children become orphans in Africa alone! 143,000,000 orphans in the world spend an average of 10 years in an orphanage or foster home. In the Ukraine and Russia, 10-15% of children who age out of an orphanage commit suicide before age 18. 60% of the girls are lured into prostitution. 70% of the boys become hardened criminals. Many of these children accept job offers that sell them into slavery. Millions become sex slaves simply because they were unfortunate enough to grow up as orphans. The sad reality is that there are so many children in such desperate conditions yet what do we do in America? Do we rush out and take our rebate from the IRS to buy yet another tv, pc, video game etc etc. Within the past year my wife Lisa started a babysitting job and our income rose about $700 a month. It was really just enough for us to live on a budget like we should putting aside savings properly, budgeting for home and car repairs etc, but I found myself beginning to look on a regular basis at the newspaper ads from places like Best Buy. I wanted to buy things like a new laptop, a new tv, a GPS among other nice little electronic gadgets. It was so easy to get sucked back into things! I am not saying all of these things are evil, nor am I saying we all should fast for 12 months ( Lord knows it wouldnt hurt me) to send all of our money overseas or here in the U.S. for those in need, but man can't we strike a balance in our lives. Can't we listen to Gods heart and do our part at least! In the end, our joy will be tied to what we do for others not by how many toys we get.
I'm reminded of a short story I wrote once from something I experienced when I was at the hospital waiting for my Moms surgery. Here is the story.
Crayon Love
Sometimes in life it's so easy to get caught up in keeping up with the Jones' and so it is with the giving of gifts. In the technology era in which we live there seems to be even a heightened sense of this philosophy as we all frantically search online and at the local Best Buy to get the "in" gift with the latest bells and whistles. Every once in a while something happens that brings back a proper perspective to our frantic search for the material things in life, like watching news footage of a famine area in Africa, or a human interest story we read in a magazine about a young mother dying of cancer. Well, just yesterday I experienced just a moment like this and I decided to write about it because it seemed to me to be a story that needed telling.
It was around 10:30 am and my Stepfather and sister-in-law were returning from the snack shop to the surgical waiting room. My mother had just had her gall bladder removed successfully and we were waiting to see her after she woke up from surgery. Upon returning to the waiting room we noticed that there were no areas left open where three seats could be together so we decided to sit in the corner of the room where only one chair was open. My stepfather and I sat on the floor and let my sister-in-law claim the chair, who says chivalry is dead. Anyway, there was a table nearby with four chairs surrounding it, and older gentleman who appeared to be in his seventies sat next to a young woman and a young man, I believe the woman was the older man's daughter. He noticed that I was on the floor and quickly stood offering me the extra chair. His act of kindness, and the fact that he was wearing a Cleveland Indians sweater as was I, made me like the man immediately. We spoke a little and he went back to his seat. I began to watch him and noticed that he was coloring something intently. He would study his paper, select a crayon, reselect after nodding his head no, tilt his head as if to bend the paper with his eyes, and this went on for several minutes. I decided I had to find out what he was doing and so in my typical non-chalant manner interrupted his work of art with a rude claim to "make sure you stay in the lines". I was forced to repeat this I think because he was hard of hearing and did not hear me initially. Once having heard my comment he proudly turned and stood showing me his drawing. I was delighted as he allowed me to peruse with my eyes his drawing of several flowers. The man must have been an artist or at least had some training because it was truly beautiful. He looked deep into my eyes as if he wanted to communicate a great truth of his heart to me, and he said, "This is for my wife, she is having a tumor removed from her leg and will have to go through therapy for some time, I want to give it to her when I see her in the recovery room". His eyes sparkled with the look of love that normally rests on the eyes of a newly wed husband, yet obviously this man had loved his wife for many years and the love was still as fresh as the day he committed his heart to hers forever. I have been thinking of this man and what I was chosen to see that day. I wonder why some of us find such joy in little things? How can one express true love as simply as with a crayon, and yet others of us never quite seem to be happy with the palm pilot we bought our wife? Why do our kids have to have the latest and greatest play station game? Where is it written that love expressed with a gift has to be what everyone else is giving or getting? Let's try to remember that love is a matter of the heart, and each of our hearts are filled with treasures so special, and so individual, that we lose out on what relationships can be if we were to just be ourselves, and give of ourselves. So the next birthday, Christmas, or Valentines day you have to buy that someone special a gift, remember this little story, get some crayons and construction paper, and let your love flow.
In America, there are more than half a million children in the foster system, this represents a 90% increase from the year 1987. 12-18 months after aging out of the foster care system: 27% of males and 10% of females have been incarcerated, 33% were receiving public assistance, 37% had not finished high school, 50% were unemployed. Children in foster care are 11 times more likely to be abused in a foster home than they are in their own home. 80% of prison inmates have spent time in the foster care system. I wonder if more true believers in Christ who knew how to share the love of Christ were involved in foster care, could these numbers be changed?
Now here are some statistics from overseas: Every 15 seconds another child becomes an Aids orphan in Africa. Every day 5,760 more children become orphans in Africa. Every year 2,102,400 more children become orphans in Africa alone! 143,000,000 orphans in the world spend an average of 10 years in an orphanage or foster home. In the Ukraine and Russia, 10-15% of children who age out of an orphanage commit suicide before age 18. 60% of the girls are lured into prostitution. 70% of the boys become hardened criminals. Many of these children accept job offers that sell them into slavery. Millions become sex slaves simply because they were unfortunate enough to grow up as orphans. The sad reality is that there are so many children in such desperate conditions yet what do we do in America? Do we rush out and take our rebate from the IRS to buy yet another tv, pc, video game etc etc. Within the past year my wife Lisa started a babysitting job and our income rose about $700 a month. It was really just enough for us to live on a budget like we should putting aside savings properly, budgeting for home and car repairs etc, but I found myself beginning to look on a regular basis at the newspaper ads from places like Best Buy. I wanted to buy things like a new laptop, a new tv, a GPS among other nice little electronic gadgets. It was so easy to get sucked back into things! I am not saying all of these things are evil, nor am I saying we all should fast for 12 months ( Lord knows it wouldnt hurt me) to send all of our money overseas or here in the U.S. for those in need, but man can't we strike a balance in our lives. Can't we listen to Gods heart and do our part at least! In the end, our joy will be tied to what we do for others not by how many toys we get.
I'm reminded of a short story I wrote once from something I experienced when I was at the hospital waiting for my Moms surgery. Here is the story.
Crayon Love
Sometimes in life it's so easy to get caught up in keeping up with the Jones' and so it is with the giving of gifts. In the technology era in which we live there seems to be even a heightened sense of this philosophy as we all frantically search online and at the local Best Buy to get the "in" gift with the latest bells and whistles. Every once in a while something happens that brings back a proper perspective to our frantic search for the material things in life, like watching news footage of a famine area in Africa, or a human interest story we read in a magazine about a young mother dying of cancer. Well, just yesterday I experienced just a moment like this and I decided to write about it because it seemed to me to be a story that needed telling.
It was around 10:30 am and my Stepfather and sister-in-law were returning from the snack shop to the surgical waiting room. My mother had just had her gall bladder removed successfully and we were waiting to see her after she woke up from surgery. Upon returning to the waiting room we noticed that there were no areas left open where three seats could be together so we decided to sit in the corner of the room where only one chair was open. My stepfather and I sat on the floor and let my sister-in-law claim the chair, who says chivalry is dead. Anyway, there was a table nearby with four chairs surrounding it, and older gentleman who appeared to be in his seventies sat next to a young woman and a young man, I believe the woman was the older man's daughter. He noticed that I was on the floor and quickly stood offering me the extra chair. His act of kindness, and the fact that he was wearing a Cleveland Indians sweater as was I, made me like the man immediately. We spoke a little and he went back to his seat. I began to watch him and noticed that he was coloring something intently. He would study his paper, select a crayon, reselect after nodding his head no, tilt his head as if to bend the paper with his eyes, and this went on for several minutes. I decided I had to find out what he was doing and so in my typical non-chalant manner interrupted his work of art with a rude claim to "make sure you stay in the lines". I was forced to repeat this I think because he was hard of hearing and did not hear me initially. Once having heard my comment he proudly turned and stood showing me his drawing. I was delighted as he allowed me to peruse with my eyes his drawing of several flowers. The man must have been an artist or at least had some training because it was truly beautiful. He looked deep into my eyes as if he wanted to communicate a great truth of his heart to me, and he said, "This is for my wife, she is having a tumor removed from her leg and will have to go through therapy for some time, I want to give it to her when I see her in the recovery room". His eyes sparkled with the look of love that normally rests on the eyes of a newly wed husband, yet obviously this man had loved his wife for many years and the love was still as fresh as the day he committed his heart to hers forever. I have been thinking of this man and what I was chosen to see that day. I wonder why some of us find such joy in little things? How can one express true love as simply as with a crayon, and yet others of us never quite seem to be happy with the palm pilot we bought our wife? Why do our kids have to have the latest and greatest play station game? Where is it written that love expressed with a gift has to be what everyone else is giving or getting? Let's try to remember that love is a matter of the heart, and each of our hearts are filled with treasures so special, and so individual, that we lose out on what relationships can be if we were to just be ourselves, and give of ourselves. So the next birthday, Christmas, or Valentines day you have to buy that someone special a gift, remember this little story, get some crayons and construction paper, and let your love flow.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
3/8/2008
We are in the middle of a blizzard. We have shoveled the driveway 3 times today. Just stayed home all day. Earlier I emailed our head Deacon at Church, Ray H. and asked him to forward the email asking for help to all of the deacons and also for his wife Judy H. to forward to the Sisters in Christ group as well. Not too long later they did. Terry P. called and said he saw the email from Ray. He offered 2 free transmission flushes at his shop for something that we could auction off. He also said he has a good relationship with Autozone through his shop and he would see what they could donate. They have donated $500 of parts sometime in the past I guess for another need. Terry just wants a date and a letter to use to get with them. He alos said he forwarded the email to his owners, perhaps they could donate. I guess they are both stong believers of our Lord. Terry was a real encouragement to me. I am excited yet impatient to see what God will do. Just wish we could get the process going right away. I know God is an ontime god though and I will trust him.
3/7/2008
Woke up last night around 5am and started dreaming/thinking about our journey God has placed before us and needless to say I could not get back to sleep for quite a while. So many things to think about. Right now we just need the money to do this. I just read at lunch chapters 3-4 of Philippians. I am counting on verse 19 of chapter 4. " But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
3/6/2008
Lisa and I went last night to Independence to attend an adoption seminar sponsored by Children's Hope International. The meeting was at 630pm. It was an incredible night. Saturday I felt like God was leading us towards this group and he really gave us a huge sign last night. I went there with great expectations. When we arrived the building was very small and only 2 other couples came for the presentation. My initial perceptions were not that positive. One of the couples came in and I noticed they looked very familiar. After a few moments I realized who it was. It was the same couple I spoke to that Friday morning in Chicago at Founders Week the day I heard the message from Dennis Rainey on adoption/orphan care. It was there where God really burdened my heart. This couple has a son and a daughter that go to Moody. I was asking them questions for about 10 minutes all about the school. Our son Christian may want to go there someday. Well now about a month later, back in Ohio, an hour away from my home, in a very small group of people we meet again. To top it off, they traveled all the way from Columbus to be there. It was really something. God was hitting me over the head telling me just to trust him. They are thinking about adopting from Russia, possibly an older sibling group. It was really incredible seeing them there at that specific time and specific place. There is no such thing as coincidence. Again, when God shows up he shows off!
3/4/2008
Just went today to Charter One and made the first donation to the adoption fund. It was by Patty F. for $20. She is the wife for one of my best friends I have ever had, Jamie who I work with. We are good friends with them. Jamie gave it to me at work today in the morning in my office. Its exciting to get this thing started. I like the fact that Jamie and Patty made the first donation. Later at work around 3pm I decided to send out an email to many of my coworkers. I think I counted up 60 individuals. Here is what I said:
All,
My family has embarked on a journey to adopt and orphan from Ethiopia. We have been called to act and we are responding. There are approximately 5 million orphans in Ethiopia that need forever families. My wife and children are excited about the opportunity to make our home a place where a child can learn about hope and love. There is one barrier to our plan and that is money. We have begun the process to raise approximately $20,000 that is required for all the expenses involved both here in the U.S. and abroad in Ethiopia. We have opened an account at our bank, Charter One. It is called The West Family Adoption Fund. Anyone can at any time go into any Charter One Bank and make a donation, just simply tell them it is for The West Family Adoption Fund and the bank will make the deposit. We plan on having a spaghetti dinner and auction sometime in the future as well, this is just the beginning. If you can find it in your heart to help us we would be eternally grateful.
Thanks,
Greg West
About 5 minutes from the time I sent this email I received emails telling me they would be making donations as soon as they could. My friend who works across the hall from my office, her name is Kathy B. who I have worked with for 18 years, walks into my office and says, " Greg, I dont get into Charter One very often but I can give you this" It was a check for $100. She was such an encouragement to me, it was neat how God gave me immediate confirmation. It was not easy for me to send that email. I am not good at asking for help, but I dont want to have my silly pride stand in the way of what God wants to do. We have a child God created for us to love and care for and we wont stop and take the easy way out. God is on the march. He is showing up and showing off!
All,
My family has embarked on a journey to adopt and orphan from Ethiopia. We have been called to act and we are responding. There are approximately 5 million orphans in Ethiopia that need forever families. My wife and children are excited about the opportunity to make our home a place where a child can learn about hope and love. There is one barrier to our plan and that is money. We have begun the process to raise approximately $20,000 that is required for all the expenses involved both here in the U.S. and abroad in Ethiopia. We have opened an account at our bank, Charter One. It is called The West Family Adoption Fund. Anyone can at any time go into any Charter One Bank and make a donation, just simply tell them it is for The West Family Adoption Fund and the bank will make the deposit. We plan on having a spaghetti dinner and auction sometime in the future as well, this is just the beginning. If you can find it in your heart to help us we would be eternally grateful.
Thanks,
Greg West
About 5 minutes from the time I sent this email I received emails telling me they would be making donations as soon as they could. My friend who works across the hall from my office, her name is Kathy B. who I have worked with for 18 years, walks into my office and says, " Greg, I dont get into Charter One very often but I can give you this" It was a check for $100. She was such an encouragement to me, it was neat how God gave me immediate confirmation. It was not easy for me to send that email. I am not good at asking for help, but I dont want to have my silly pride stand in the way of what God wants to do. We have a child God created for us to love and care for and we wont stop and take the easy way out. God is on the march. He is showing up and showing off!
3/3/2008
We now have an appointment for Wed 3/5 in Independence for an introductory session with Childrens Hope International. We received their information packet on Saturday and I felt like God was showing us this was our agency. We will have to wait and see how it goes as God leads. I really liked their DVD as all of the people spoke of God. The CEO said that he has never seen a mismatch of a child to a family and he had to believe it was God at work. That is exactly how I feel right now. God is at work. All of the families interviewed spoke of the Lord and it just felt right. I called Lisa and told her it was a God thing that I just knew. When she came home later, we realized we had information about this meeting for about a week but I had not connected it to what I was watching on Saturday. We had not actually called and made the appointment. I am excited to go to their presentation and see what God has in store for us.
2/29/2008
Its Friday and I took a vacation day from work. We went to Charter One today and set up The West Family Adoption Fund. Its exciting to get the ball rolling. We threw the ball out, now God will have to throw "gravity" its way to get it rolling down hill. Its really exciting to be doing something that God is all over in the calling. Amazingly today the lady at the bank shared with us how she gave up her child when she was a teenager. You could see the pain was still there for her. We were able to share the story of how Hope and Charity gave up the money they prayed for to buy a bunny, to give for the baby once they found out how much the adoption would cost. I think the lady thought it was special, I believe the word she used was awesome. We pray that our divine appointment will be used by God to move her closer to the bridge of real faith. Teresa came over to drop off Taylor to spend the night with Charity. We talked about a flyer to create and use as a mailer/postcard etc. Teresa is a real pro at this, its her business. She is real excited for us. She is a real blessing and encouragement to us.
2/27/2008
I stayed home from church tonight. I have been running all week it seems like. I wanted to relax, read, pray, research, watch some DVD's on adoption from the Dave Thomas Foundation which focuses on domestic foster to adopt kids. I cried several times. So many kids in need everywhere. Sometimes I wonder why my heart is for international adoption right now. My faith right now is weak, I wonder where all the money will come from. I want to adopt now! God please send us the funds.
2/24/2008
We left church early today to attend an adotion seminar in Medina from 12-2pm. There focus in international. Did not really learn much of anything new as I have been devouring books and researching on the web. They dont currently offer Korea (Lisa) or Ethiopia (Greg) as countries to choose from. We spoke with our friends Missy & Greg at out house when we returned as Greg was installing cable in our new bedroom. We moved the boys up to our bedroom and we came downstairs. This freed up a bedroom for the baby or babies. Lisa said we were plowing our fields in preparation of what God is going to do. Now its up to him to bring the sun and the rain. After speaking with Greg & Missy about the foster to adopt program Lisa said afterwords that we should go international. God now has shown us it is to be international for us. Waiting for his leading.
2/21/2008
I spoke today with a lady from Summit County Childrens Services. They are sending me a packet of information on the foster to adopt program. Also have a schedule of classes that are required by the State of Ohio for this program. My heart is for international but there is no cost for this program. Will wait on Gods leading.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
2/20/2008
It is Wed night about 930pm and I am so filled with joy right now I cant stand it. This all started with a message I heard at Moody Bible Institutes Founders Week. On Friday 2/8 during the morning session the speaker was Dennis Rainey. He spoke passionately of the incredible need for the church to rise up and fill the gap for orphans in the US and all over the world. Millions overseas and thousands here in the states. I was broken. God moved in my heart. Since I returned from Chicago God has reinforced his call on me so many times and in so many amazing ways it blows my mind. Out of the blue this week, Lisa's friend Alicia emails asking Lisa to pray for a couple trying to adopt a Vietnamese orphan and they are encountering obstacles. I overheard Lisa telling one of her friends on the phone some days later it was the first time she had ever been asked to pray for an adoption from overseas like this. Also, when I came back from Moody, my co-teacher and good friend at my church asked the class to begin going through the book of Ephesians. I was to teach chapter one. During the week as I was preparing I came to verse 5 and i was amazed at Gods sense of guidance. Verse 5 reads- Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. It struck me for the first time as I began to dig deeper that week, how God had adopted me into his family. The email from Alicia and the thought of this verse God brought to my mind about 5 minutes from each other. I remember how pumped up I was as God had begun to lovingly and patiently show me how real his call was to me. Lets just say it was one of those God moments. Later then on Sunday when I taught on chapter one I shared witht he class what God was burdening me about and afterwords a fairly new member of the class, Patti Nelson approaches me and shares how she was adopted from Korea. She was really encouraging to both Lisa and I that day. Later during the main service one of Pastor Ed's words in his outline was adopt. I smiled. Later Patti would email us and she told us how amazed she was and that she could see from across the auditorium how I had smiled. Again, Patti really encouraged us. Lisa and I have been reading all sorts of adoption books from the library. We have several packets from adoption agencies to read and watch their dvd presentations. Its been awesome. Like one of the speakers at Moody this year said, " When God shows up he shows off" and he certainly has.
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