God cares for orphans & so should the church!

Our house is not huge...

But our home has loving parents...a family...

Even if our home is getting full...(plus one on the way!)

We are not perfect parents or a perfect family, but we have Christ...

We have so much we can share and we have a desire to be obedient to God's call:

In Psalm 82:3, God has commanded us:

 Defend the weak and the fatherless;
    uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

^{For us, God has called us to the beautiful journey of adoption.  We are so grateful that God has entrusted us with some of His precious treasures.}

^{I fully recognize that we not all called to adopt, but as Christians we are all called to do SOMETHING (the verse does not say "some of you should defend...).}  

^{The need is great}

^{--147 million orphans--} 

^but  

^{our God is big.} 

^{And He expects and equips His church to be His hands and feet.}  

^{Ever since God has opened my eyes to the plight and needs of orphans, I have not been the same.   I have asked God what I can do to advocate for the needs of orphans, and I have found a perfect outlet!  I'm going to be part of Lifesong for Orphans Blogger Network.  That means that I will get to let you know about the church's work among orphans and ways that you can be a part!  So excited for this opportunity!!  First post is coming soon :)}

How do you define "normal"?

Before I work on defining "normal" I would like to share some more exciting news!  We've already heard back from China and we have been approved to adopt our daughter!  In our petition, we stated,  " We eagerly await your permission to add GY, whom we already love, to our family."  And it is true, we already love her and can't wait to bring her home!

And now to the point of this entry...

As we travel this 2nd adoption journey, we are so blessed that we have family and friends that are incredibly supportive of us.  We really have no horror stories of inappropriate questions (nosy questions, maybe, but not inappropriate) or discouraging words.  We acknowledge that some people probably shake their heads and think we are crazy, but fortunately, they are least outwardly supportive.

However, this is not the case for all adoptive families, and my heart today is sad as I think about a friend of mine who, as her family prepares to adopt, has been chastised for not allowing her biological son to have a "normal life."

This comment makes me sad for two reasons.  My friend was hurt by this response and lack of support and I hurt with her.  It also makes me sad for the person who said it because I'm not sure she understood what she said.

What is normal?

In the US, normal is...

• In 2008, 40% of children were born to single women and 29% of all children were being raised in single parent homes.
• In the past 30 days, 27% of youth 12-20 have had an alcoholic drink
• The average American family is $73,000 in debt. 

I don't know about you, but I don't want any of that "normal" in my family.  What do I want?

I want my children to evaluate "normal" according to God's word.  Verses like:

•  No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
      and this is what he requires of you:
  to do what is right, to love mercy,
      and to walk humbly with your God.  Micah 6:8
• Defend the weak and the fatherless;
      uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.  Psalm 82:3
• Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  Romans 12:13

Don't get me wrong...our family falls short of  God's "normal" but if we are going to strive for "normal" we choose God's normal and not the world's.

I want my kids to think about "normal" in other parts of the world.

• more the 6 million children die from malnutrition every year.
• approximately two-fifths of the world's population do not have access to clean water...of these, 425 million of them are children.  500 children die every day due to health problems caused by contaminated water.
• nearly 115 million children are out of school. Globally, some 53 percent of the children out of primary school are girls, meaning that for every 100 boys out of school, 115 girls are in the same situation 
• there are an estimated 143 million and 210 million orphans worldwide.

And I want them to be people of prayer and action, helping to change that "normal" in the world.

I'm starting this blog to describe our journey...the impetus for starting this blog is that we are starting a journey to bring home another daughter. However, this trip started over a year ago, and at that time, there was no notion that it included an excursion to another adoption. This past year has been a time for spiritual refreshment and renewal for Todd and me. It has been a time that we have sought to deepen our faith and fully commit to following God. I think of the Steven Curtis Chapman song "Dive."

I'm diving in, I'm going deep in over my head I want to be

Caught in the rush, lost in the flow, in over my head I want to go

The river's deep, the river's wide, the river is alive

So sink or swim, I'm diving in...

But we will never know the awesome power of the grace of God

Until we let ourselves get swept away in this holy flood

So if you'll take my hand

We'll close our eyes and count to three

And take the leap of faith, come on, let's go!

So, yes, Todd and I are taking a leap of faith and are working to bring home a daughter from China--specifically a teen-aged daughter from China.  We are completely overwhelmed, completely excited, and completely scared--all at the same time.  We've been edging to the end of the high diving board for awhile, but we have finally dived in!