Prayers from the broken hearted

Yesterday I was really suffering from "the orphan mentality" and washing the dishes preparing to leave. I told the Lord that sometimes it still really grieves me that I don't have family, that my children lack grandparents that care and are involved. I shared how I'm saddened that the family I do have finds me useless unless I'm useful to them, namely helping them financially which I can't / won't do as it would only enable substance abuse. I told Him how it hurt my heart when my son was sick no blood relative came to pray, support or help in any way. I remember thinking if he passed away they wouldn't have known unless they ran into us on the street and realized we were minus a child. It's painful that while we've been contacted for money or to be used as storage, or transportation my baby turns 1 soon, and they have never asked to see her, her name, gender, age or know the joy she brings to our family. I told Him also how it hurts constantly wondering if they are off the streets, safe, overdosed or seriously hurt, how I'm weary of praying for the breaking of strongholds of sin, addiction and dysfunction only to hear of them sinking further and deeper into chaos and depravity. I dried my hands off, grabbed my purse and walked outside to where my husband and children were waiting in the van when I saw them speaking to the very person who raised me (during the times I wasn't in fostercare or living with friends) that I was just praying about! They are doing worse than ever and the saddest was hearing how the children are doing. I will be making some calls today. I did get to pray with them that Our Heavenly Father would restore the years the locusts have eaten and make something good to come from this situation. Still I'm grieved. Still I pray. While they live there is always hope. Praying those I care about would choose life both the physical and eternal. 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."

" Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me." Psalm 27:10 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12 "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation." Psalm 13:5 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

A Spirit of Fear

Can I share something really personal here? Normally I'm confident. I beam with joy of being a success story of a life radically changed by God. My spirit is filled with the vision God gave me and I revel in His goodness and His purposes for my family. ;-) Lately however, I've noticed I've become a little less bold, more timid, depressed even. I'd been having moments where I think about the HUGE responsibility of raising all these precious little ones to walk in righteousness and truth and to be godly nation shaking world changers, and the task seems daunting. I wonder what the heck God was THINKING when He gave these children to ME (of all people) to raise. Sometimes, I remember what I come from and I feel the anxiety spread through me. My parents were drug addict criminals. My husband and I are the only normal stable married couple in our family. All of my life I've had to seek out mentors, not family members if I wanted to learn the healthy way of relating to others or handling life's challenges. I am a 2nd generation foster kid, I come from a LONG line of lawless, depraved, godless individuals who often shirk the responsibility of raising their own children. Occasionally I get sort of panicky and plagued by fears wondering if maybe, just maybe I'm toiling in vain. Can anything good come out of our family tree, I wonder? Sometimes I see family members homeless on the streets from bad decisions and I am flooded with grief, fear, discouragement and shame. I have family members who would love to see me and my children fail because that would somehow affirm to them, that I shouldn't have bothered to forge a new path to begin with. I remind them that "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" so we raise our children differently. I have to actively quote God's word that says "God has not given me a "spirit" of fear but of LOVE, POWER and a sound mind.(2 Timothy 1:7) I reason that if He could ransom, rescue and redeem ME (raised by addicts and foster care and those in bondage to sin) than He can do quite well with my children who are well loved and come from a good home. I'm reminded not to give even the tiniest of footholds to the enemy who would love to see my hard work undone and for me to view myself lower than dirt, paralyzed by fear. I begin to feel worthless and embarrassed of my upbringing. Then the Lord tells me "BEHOLD I am doing a NEW thing! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."( Isaiah 43:19) He reminds me that "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."(Romans 8:37)The NLT states it as "No, despite ALL these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us." Isn't that encouraging. Maybe you don't come from as extreme of an upbringing as I do, but no matter what your situation, there is never a reason to trudge along life's journey, with a defeated spirit. Victory is ours through Christ. His Word exhorts me to "Abide in Him and I will bear much fruit."(John 15:1:8) Also to "Take every thought captive" ( 2 Cor 10:5" ) so that He can "quench ALL the fiery darts of the wicked." ( Ephesians 6:16) In my deepest pits of discouragement He declares that "He has REDEEMED me, He has called me by name and I am HIS." (Isaiah 43:1) When I feel hopeless, inadequate and like a failure, and that is often as of late, He REJOICES over me with singing! (Zeph 3:17) He whispers to me that Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee to myself. (Jer 31:3) I am blessed and encouraged that whatever the future holds, I and my children are secure in His love, care and protection. Amen

Party w/ a Purpose!

This day last year... my sweet friend Brenda helped us plan our Party with a Purpose. It was nice. We let people drop in anytime during the 4 hour gathering so people were stopping by throughout the day. Here we collected donations, did a short spiel on Ethiopia, fundraised a bit and made cards for the orphan kiddos. The kids had so much fun! I am bummed I didn't take more photos. Thank you to all who came out to lend support. We made Ethiopian foods so the children could experience the culture a bit and colored pictures. They got to see the Ethiopian alphabet. My favorite was when one of the kids wrote "Dear Orphans"... then thought about it for a moment and began again and wrote "Dear Friends" instead. Well played Josh! ;-) Later you will see photos of us giving these out to kids in Ethiopia! It was wonderful and we were blessed to share about Ethiopia, a beautiful, ancient fascinating culture and country.

Here we made ( or at least tried to make) Injera, ( the tortilla like bread) iab, the yummy yogurty type dish and dorowat. ( chicken in red pepper paste) Afterward we sorted the donations, started clean up and the kids had a question for us here... How could we say no? :-)

Bringing Home KADEN! Adoption RAFFLE for the COX family

Hi Friends,
Meet the Cox family. Steve and Annette.


They have 4 fabulous boys! Steve teaches over at Orange Coast Community College, in Costa Mesa CA. The lovely Annette is an awesome homeschooling mother to four precious boys and was adopted. http://thejourneytokaden.blogspot.com/They are fundraising to bring their little son 5 year old Kaden home from China. You may remember him as Solomon's bestest little bud at the orphanage that Stacy Richards was advocating for a while back. The Cox family needs money and FAST! To help them we are holding a RAFFLE! We have some FANTASTIC prizes donated and will be adding more in the next few days. PLEASE signup via email (that nifty little button on your right hand side) to get updates on new items added. Becoming a follower would be nice as well! ONLY $5.00 a ticket. You have terrific odds of winning SOMETHING. Raffle ends July 15th, don't delay, get your tickets TODAY!
______________________________
Here is a note from Annette...
Folks can mail us a check in order to enter the raffle and also send us an email at ourfivetreasures@yahoo.com letting us know that they are mailing a check, how much the check is for and what raffle items they want to enter. We still need to raise about $13,000 and $9,550 of that is due as soon as we receive our TA (Travel Approval), which should be in the next 3-4 weeks. Thank you so much!! Love, Annette

Purchase tickets by mailing a check to:
Steve Cox
c/o Orange Coast College
2701 Fairview Road
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

There is no ChipIn available for this raffle, because under PayPal's "Acceptable Use Policy" they will not allow us to use PayPal / ChipIn to send or receive payments for activities that involve an entry fee and a prize, such as raffles, drawings or lotteries. If you have any questions, Please email me atBeautyForAshes5@att.net Together lets BRING KADEN HOME! Alida w5

Father's Day Blues?

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. Mother Teresa

Father's Day can be incredibly painful or a totally blase holiday to those of us who've had deadbeat, uncaring, dysfunctional, irresponsible uninvolved abusive fathers. At a young age I was gifted with discernment. While I desperately LONGED for a loving father figure, I knew not to expect it or desire it from my own. Many of my friends had loving doting fathers to guide them through life and provide for them. At times, it was difficult seeing all that I lacked. I'll never forget meeting him again once I became a grown woman. I was 17 years old, living on my own. I never inquired why he never contacted me or sent ANYTHING to provide for even my basic needs. Perhaps feeling guilty, he felt obligated to offer some sort of an explanation. He told me "I meant to check on you, see how you were doing, but you know, outta sight outta mind. You know how that goes."

Nope, I don't know how that goes. I love my children more than I love air. I can't imagine not being able to see them, hug them, kiss them, watch them grow. I can't imagine life not knowing who these incredible kids are. I can't imagine not feeling my little ones arms around my neck as I carry them to bed or missing out as my bigger children tell me their hopes & aspirations, listening to their giggles and jokes, hearing them pray. Both my father and mother abandoned me. Drugs, alcohol and various other things all apparently way more important than I ever was. Many of you share my upbringing in some way or another. Perhaps you too are among the walking wounded. ;-) Oh how I love the words of David in Psalm 68:5 "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Mother's Day is not my favorite holiday either. However, I take comfort in knowing in Psalm 27:10. I enjoy looking at different versions of this passage.

"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up."
"When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take care of me."
"Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close."
"Aunque mi padre y mi madre me dejaran, Con todo, Jehová me recogerá."

I take great joy in knowing that each of us has a purpose. Each of us is cherished, loved, cared for, ADORED by our Heavenly father. Some of us were nothing more than a brief after thought to our earthly fathers. I grew up feeling "forgotten." NONE of us are forgotten by God! Though your earthly parents may fail to care or meet your needs our Abba Father is the PERFECT parent. He is El Shaddai, the all sufficient one. He can meet every need. He can heal every hurt. Come to Him fill the deepest longings of your heart, the vast void in your soul, your unquenchable thirst for love and acceptance. He'll cleanse the wounds in your spirit and give you perfect PEACE! Happy Heavenly Father's Day.

Isaiah 49:15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! "

Jeremiah 31:3 Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Psalm 139 :17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Now, print this out and give this to someone in your life that is Fatherless.
http://www.fathersloveletter.com/Media/FLL_single.pdf

Father's Love Letter
http://www.fathersloveletter.com/kids/FLLkids_poster.pdf For Children

Video here.
Father's Day Blues?

Should I have been aborted?

Today, January 22, America will memorialize the 38th anniversary of the unjust Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that imposed abortion on all 50 states — opening the way for the deaths of more than 53 million babies and the wounding of millions of women and men. I'm sharing my story because it is my hope that the church would wake from it's indifference to this holocaust and actively try to end abortion. I think some "Christians " overlook this tragedy because they figure maybe its better for babies to die than to "suffer a difficult upbringing." I hope to encourage women in difficult situations to "chose life". You have NO IDEA how your child might be used to bless the world. Please look past your circumstances and allow your child to experience the gift of life. All the joys and the pain. Life is precious. I want to give HOPE to those that assume all children born in poverty will be only a burden or criminal.

Our Story
My name is Alida. I've heard every excuse in the world for why abortion is a right and should remain legal. I know many situations women find themselves in that can warrant the "need" for an abortion. I am also a living example of the blessing of "choosing life" despite all of them. I was born prematurely I'm told, to an unwed teenage mother. My mother ran away from a group home, aged out of foster care. She eventually ended up homeless and with my violent drug addict father who severely abused her and beat her so badly that hat he broke her ribs, and various other body parts. I was raised among prostitution and women exploitation. I have been told in the past that I was a product of rape and would have been aborted if a clinic would have been closer. Both of my parents were criminals and addicts. I was abandoned most of my childhood and spent portions of my childhood in foster care, in a domestic violence shelter with my abused grandmother and in various group homes. I was kicked out of the my mothers home at 17. For all practical purposes I was abused, unwanted, unloved and had no future apart from repeating the generational cycle of substance abuse, sin and violence. Many would say that I should have been aborted as I likely would have become a drain on society. Many might say that it would have been kinder to kill me than to allow me to suffer through my difficult upbringing. I say we need to stop trying to play God. Who can say what amount of pain and discomfort predicted warrants the ending of a human life. My husband was also born to a heroine addict, abandoned by his father and raised by his grandmother.

God has a funny way of making good things come out of even the most hopeless of situations. NO, life hasn't been all roses and neither my husband or I were born with a silver spoon in our mouths but our lives have VALUE. Our lives are PRECIOUS and have been REDEEMED! I am not perfect and I make mistakes as much as the next person. But, my husband and I are the first generation in our families to have a loving, stable, healthy marriage. I'm a great mother. I don't use drugs or alcohol. I'm not a criminal. My children are not in foster care. Our home is a haven. My motto is to "leave the world better than when you found it" and I live my life with the goal of Job 29:11-17, Isaiah 58:6-11, and James 1:27. My Family and I serve the community in many ways. We've visited convalescent homes, pack food for and feed the homeless, volunteered at the local birth center. We as a family participate in numerous pro-life outreach activities. I recently became trained in an organization that helps local homeless youths get off the street called Stand up for Kids. I have been a "big sister/mentor." I volunteer at the local children's home. I've been a speaker for foster youth empowering them to make positive life choices. I was recently invited with other foster alumni to speak with those working in the Foster care system on ways to reform the system and how to help youth! Beauty For Ashes! Only God can do that. I was able to volunteer on the same hospital floor my son received treatment on(oncology). We've volunteered at the Ronald Mc Donald house, frequently do our own little neighborhood cleanup. We sponsor children, serve as a family. We are in the process of adopting. I'm currently fundraising to go on my first mission trip to East Africa in April with Project Hopeful and Visiting Orphans to bless HIV orphans to show them the love of Christ. Huatzin is an amazing father, husband and friend. He's coached Special Olympics for over 10+ years, along with www.S4EA.org (similar to S.O) He now coaches for a Christian High School varsity Team. He has done Civil War and Spanish American Reenactments, loves Jesus and blessing others. We are not boasting in ourselves, only in the GOODNESS and REDEEMING POWER of JESUS. We only wish to show how good can come from the most difficult situations. You will never know your childs potential if you destroy him or her through abortion. Life isn't always easy but like Maya Angelou, "I wouldn't trade nothing for my journey now!"

We pray daily that we will be called into full time ministry internationally to serve in or start an orphanage. I'd like to start a non profit "sets the solitary into families" (according to Psalm 68:6) connecting " the solitary" (young adults without family, pregnant teens, homeless youth and former foster alumni ) with adults and families to mentor them. (teaching life skills, cooking, homemaking, budgeting, homemaking, career planning, interacting, inviting them to dinner, having them over for holidays, attending graduations, baby showers, being available to call about parenting questions, modeling and allowing them to experience a FAMILY!) I am so blessed by those who took me in (and still do) for the holidays and encourage me. I'd LOVE to match pregnant teens with mentoring Titus 2 moms to show them how to tenderly care for their children. I'd love to focus on the benefits of attachment parenting, breast-feeding, baby wearing and positive discipline. All in His timing.

Every child is wanted by SOMEONE! I have so many friends who wish to be the ones that raise a child about to be aborted. We would be overjoyed and love any child any color and would be blessed to give a child a good home. I have many friends who would love to adopt special needs children. They say as many as 90% of special needs children are aborted in this country EVERY SINGLE YEAR!!! Organizations like CHASK www.chask.org/ can easily match pregnant mothers with families that will adopt their special needs child. One thing to consider, I have known many many women who've had abortions that regret them. I have yet to meet anyone who regretted their decision to give birth to their baby. Yes this includes even in the act of rape. A best friend in high school was raped and considered abortion. She gave birth to an amazing little boy who is on the honor roll today. I became his godmother. Once you get an abortion THERE IS NO TURNING BACK! It is UNCHANGEABLE!! You can not bring a life back that has already been destroyed. I speak from experience. Not only does abortion extinguish life which is sacred, it increases your chances of breast cancer, depression, suicidal thoughts and can have multiple adverse health consequences including sterilization and death. You can google for the many stories of women harmed from complications from abortions and clinics shut down due to patient death. Choose Life for your baby! You'll be glad you did! Should I have been aborted? Should ANYONE? Of course not. Check out www.40daysforlife.com/

The Facts-
* If you were born after 1972, one-third of your generation, ONE THIRD - has been brutally murdered.
* That’s over 3,600 babies killed EVERY SINGLE DAY... in the United States alone.
* Minority women constitute only about 13% of the female population (age 15-44) in the US, but they underwent approximately 36% of the abortions.
www.blackgenocide.org
* In America alone, a nation that was founded on an unalienable right to life, endowed by our Creator, more than 1,200,000 innocent children are killed by abortion each year.
Quick Test
A. There's a preacher and wife who are very, very, poor. They already have 14 kids. Now she finds out she's pregnant with her 15th. They're living in tremendous poverty. Considering their poverty and the excessive world population, would you consider recommending she get an abortion?
B. The mother is pregnant again. Her first child died in infancy, her husband — has a history of alcohol abuse and mental disorders which frequently causes him to abuse his other children. She has tuberculosis. Should abort?
C. A poor black family in the South is expecting a child. This family, because of its skin color, already has difficulty receiving help and are already at the bare minimum poverty level. Should she get an abortion?
D. A teenage girl is pregnant. She's not married. Here fiancee is not the father of the baby, and he's very upset. He is worried for her sake and for their repution in their community. This child could put a serious strain on their relationship and on any future children. Abortion?
E. A white man raped a 13 year old black girl and she got pregnant. If you were her parents, would you recommend abortion?
F. You are a bright 18 year old girl unmarried college student, you discover the father of your child has wife and child in another country. Abort?
G. A runaway foster youth teen is pregnant by an abusive drug addict pimp. She has no family support or education and no way of supporting herself. Should she abort?
H. You are an addict, you are pregnant, your boyfriend will probably bail on you. Should you abort?

Okay, everybody finished? Here are the results:
A. In the first case, you have just killed John Wesley. One of the great evangelists of the 19th century.
B. In the second case, you just aborted Ludwig Van Beethoven!
C. If you answered Abortion for C, You just aborted Martin Luther King, Jr.
D. If you answered Abortion for D, You, my friend, have just aborted Jesus of Nazareth.
E. If you answered Abortion for you have killed Ethel Waters, the great black gospel singer.
F. If you answered Abortion for you F, you have killed Barack Obama First Black President!
G. If you said yes my friends, You KILLED me. Alida Blessed mother of 5, Adoption advocate, community servant, homeschooling volunteering mother of 5!
H. If you said yes, you aborted Huaztin Rodriguez. Loving father of 5, civil war re-enactor, Special needs coach and lover of orphans and JESUS!

December 1st World AIDS Day

Enable Education (Don't forget to pause the music on playlist so that you can hear the videos)
Dec 1 is World AIDS Day-Consider how you can help the millions of children orphaned by AIDS! Please watch, read, share and pray for ways to help. (James 1:27)
Watch the video below and educate yourself about the TRUTH! Also, please grab the Dec 6 issue of People magazine and read about an amazing adoptive family (Kiel & Carolyn Vetter Twietmeyer )!The Truth Pandemic World AIDS Day Campaign is part of an ongoing educational initiative to encourage public awareness about the facts regarding HIV transmission and orphans living with HIV/AIDS. Project HOPEFUL believes that education is key to addressing the needs of orphans with HIV and families/individuals who would seek to adopt them. Truth Pandemic - Learn the facts about HIV/AIDS and Adoption, How you can get the virus and how you cannot. Help spread the Truth Pandemic video by sharing it with 5 of your friends. www.ProjectHopeful.org

How can YOU help for World AIDS day?
http://www.hopechest.org/5for50/ There are 5 things that every one of us can do to help the 50 million people in our world suffering from HIV/AIDS. Here’s how it works:
Give 5 minutes a day to pray for those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
Give 5 hours a week to fast for those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
Give 5 dollars a month to the Five for 50 Fund and support worthy causes.
Give 5 days a year to travel overseas and help alleviate poverty and suffering.
Give 5 people an opportunity to join you on your journey.
This is a way everyone can participate and be part of the solution to a world crisis.

A few HIV Adoption Resources
http://www.projecthopeful.org/resources
http://www.positivelyorphaned.com/

HIV Adoption! Oh yes you can!

People sometimes ask me why on earth we would ever consider HIV adoption when there are perfectly healthy children that need a home. Why on EARTH would I ever subject my children to something as scary as HIV? Am I CRAZY or just plain irresponsible? Usually it's just that they have old school notions on how the disease is spread. They don't know the facts about HIV adoption. Truth is there are only a few ways to contract HIV. There has never even been a single solitary report of ANYONE getting infected just from living in a home with some one who has HIV or AIDS. That includes sharing drinks, kisses, hugs, sharing utensils, bathing , swimming together. I'll elaborate more on that later. The main reason I wish to adopt an HIV or AIDS orphan is because well, SOMEONE has to. Those millions of people dying in sun shara Africa, and in many other parts of the world often times have children. Those children still exist after the parent passes on. I have prayed from childhood that God would allow me to adopt the children that would otherwise perish. I have seen how these poor children deteriorate if they do not have access to proper food and medication.

Honestly though, the idea of HIV adoption occured to me years ago in Junior High. I remember I was in the Principals Office for misbehaving. ( I was a bit of a hand full, heck, still am) There was an article in a magazine or newspaper about a young little orphan girl that was dying of AIDS. She had no family to care for her, to love her, pray with her, to whisper sweet words of comfort to her in her final hours. She didn't have anyone to show a mothers tender care. It spoke of how she died in some hospital type setting unnoticed. There at 11 or 12 years old my heart broke at the thought of a child slipping into eternity without ever being LOVED. No one to wipe her forehead, no one to hold water to her parched lips. No one to make she she was comfortable or held and rocked and sang to as she took her last breath. The injustice of it all tore at my heart and flooded my soul in anguish. I vowed to either adopt children like that or to start an orphanages or children's home to take care of children like that. Here we are years later and I can't get the image of of my mind Sadly this is all to common for many HIV AIDS children. JUST READ THIS STORY ABOUT THE 6 year old that is shunned by the community because he is an AIDS orphan. http://master.dailychilli.com/news/7638-the-lonely-life-of-a-six-year-old-boy Who will look after him when he becomes to weak to care for himself. I look at my 6 ear old daughter and picture her living on her own by herself... Does that break your heart open yet? Selah HIV adopted daughter of the Twiet-meyers says " Children aren't dying because people aren't helping. the need families like mine. Read her compelling story HERE. http://positivelyorphaned.org/2010/11/27/hiv-adoption-article/
Worldwide, 42 million people are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS. Of these, 3.2 million are under 15 years of age. In the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control, there were 816,149 reported cases of HIV in the United States. Of these, 9,074 cases of AIDS were in children under the age of 13In 2010, the number of children worldwide who have lost one or both parents to AIDS is expected to reach 25 million :( In sub-Saharan Africa alone, over 15 million children have been orphaned by the pandemic. This is the first video I ever watched on HIV Adoption. Please watch it is SO informative and inspiring. It will open your eyes to the suffering of these precious little ones. You;ll probably learn a thing or two you didn't know before.
HIV Adoption, Oh YES YOU CAN! http://www.facinglife.tv/episode/season_3/episode_7/episode_307_video_full.htm
Ezekiel 34:16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak…I will shepherd my flock with justice!

Our first homestudy meeting

On Tuesday, we had our very first home study meting. It was a very chaotic day. I went back and fourth between whether or not we should cancel. We had issues with childcare and all sorts of urgent things that needed to be taken care of the same day. I also signed up to bring a meal to a friend that had a baby. I felt such opposition. I pondered whether this was an attack from the enemy to keep us from adopting or the Lord saying it isn't time. We considered adopting the siblings of a friends sons from Ghana. I prayed to the Lord and said " you know I don't want to inconvenience anyone and I don't want to go outside of your will. If you want us to adopt you'll help me find childcare for my children with someone I trust." ( which isn't a whole lot of people) Finally, miraculously my friend called saying that she would love to watch my children and to have them over. Our kids were able to play with her dog, chickens, a bunny and pet horses nearby. They had a blast. Huatzin and I discussed that if this meeting went bad or if something didn't feel right we'd go ahead and pull the plug and try to adopt from Ghana instead. I cooked the meal for both families, stopped at the store, dropped off the kids, dropped off the meal, and got to our appointment with 2 minutes to spare.

The meeting went really well. I really like our social worker. ( I didn't think I would) She left us feeling very hopeful which is something they don't do in the classes. They always tell you worst case scenario and overestimate everything, especially timeframes. In the classes they told us it could be anywhere from 12-18 months or more to get certified. She told us it could be as little as 4 or 5 months or less depending on how quickly we got everything turned in. Our social worker was very optimistic and down to earth. There aren't any siblings matching our preference at this time. ( Black or Asian, or any HIV orphans) She did mentioned that with our flexible preferences of 0-5 any ethnicity, willing to accept siblings, drug exposure and some special needs we probably wouldn't wait long to adopt. YAY. A really total God thing happened. 2 years ago our entire family fell in love with a sibling set. They were so "perfect" for our family in every way. I told her how we used to pine over a sibling set on the heart gallery. She asked us which one. I mentioned their names. She KNEW them. I have asked around all over the "system" and had just given up hope that I'd ever know what happened to them. She told me that it was such a shame I didn't contact her sooner. I wish we wold have considered her agency first instead of Olivecrest.
( we had a HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE AWFUL experience with Olivecrest, ( I've since met many others who have also) which eventually led to us not getting a sibling set we desperately wanted, and kept a sibling set from ever being ADOPTED into a loving home. Our family might have looked very different than it does now. I will keep them in prayer for as long as I live. They are on my wall and in my heart forever. When I pray my my own children I pray for them. We have not since then, seen any other sibling group that matched our preferences so perfectly. The Lord at least gave a bit of closure.

I am so excited at what the Lord is doing in our family. I am bubbling over with anticipation to on getting licensed to adopt. I DREAM of the day they call us saying " we have a match for your family." I await especially for the moment when we hear " "these children are now fully and legally YOURS!" I long for the day He uses our family to bring joy, hope, love, rest and closure to orphans. I pray we will be able to rescue, redeem and ransom little ones on the brink of destruction. We want to be the ones that bring stability and peace to them. We want to show them the love of a father and mother, to lovingly point them to the Christ.

Psalm 68:6 "God sets the solitary in families: he brings out those which are bound with chains"
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you received a spirit of adoption in which we call out, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God's children. And if children, then also heirs heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him in order also to be glorified with him. (Romans 8:14-17)

Paul, Stacy and Solomon UNITED!

Paul and Stacy were able to hold their little ( 4 year old) Solomon for the first time. I can only IMAGINE how this must feel. I told my children to lay down and close their eyes. I told them to picture in their mind that they live in an orphanage surrounded by many many other children. You belong to the state and not a real family. Imagine that they have NEVER known a mother or fathers touch. That they've never had someone make them a special meal just the way they like it. They've never had someone to tuck them into bed, never had someone pick the up and love on them and cuddle them with kisses when they've skin a knee or are hurt. Never had anyone to comfort them when they are scared or have had a bad dream. Never had anyone tell them I love you son. No one to pray with you and teach you about Jesus. No one reads a special book, sings them a special song, tells them stories, dreams with them, hopes with them. NO ONE to tell you how special you are. At times the sadness and loneliness is so unbearable for your little heart. Deep down you are scared and in survival mode. You always long for a family like other boys ad girls. You hear stories of what it must be like to belong in a family and wonder what it must be like. the orphanage is all you've ever known. You long for something different, something better. How do you feel?

Now imagine that for the first time in your little life, a mama and daddy come for you to bring you into their family. They hug you, kiss you, and LOVE you, and tell you you BELONG! How do you feel? I shared with them that it's the needed of over 150 MILLION orphans. Many of those children will never get to experience the joy, bliss and comfort and peace of mind that Solomon has. The feeling of rest. I asked them never to forget how that felt and to remember as God tell us the orphan. I asked them to never lose their heart for the orphan and to always thing of ways they can help the fatherless and the widow. They prayed that God would help them. I believe He will. Look at these photos. Doesn't Solomon look so peaceful! It's because he he is LOVED. He knows who his daddy is. His earthly father will point him to his Heavenly father.

Look at how he adores his mother. Can you imagine having a mother and father for the FIRST TIME IN YOUR LIFE? This is God's heart for EVERY family. His desire is that all would have a home. Romans 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."
You can stay updated through her blog http://mycupoverfloweth.blogspot.com/

We raised nearly $3,000 for the Richards Family!!!

Go Jesus, we raised around $3,000 helping the Richards family bring Solomon HOME. We I say "WE" I mean each and every one of you that prayed, spread the word, donated or purchased tickets. ALL of you helped a beautiful boy get home to His forever family. You helped rescue an orphan from an institutional setting, a lifetime of loneliness and brought him into a loving, godly family! Praise the Lord, you helped with a mighty work but don't stop now! There is so much more to do. There are 153 MILLION orphans needing help of some kind. Please earnestly pray and see how the Lord would use your life to help the fatherless.

“and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.”
Isaiah 58:10

Yes you heard it, we are IN PROCESS to ADOPT!

We have taken the classes we have finished the paperwork... We are handing in our application tomorrow! We are praying for a minority sibling set of 3( I prayed that the Lord would double us back when we only had 4!) I heard him say He would make me the JOYFUL fruitful mother of MANY children. I want 8 kids before I turn 30. Not much time if you ask me! We want to help keep a sibling set together. My heart quickens and is stirred every time I see beautiful black children. My heart does the same when i see little Asian children as well. I have always wanted at least a few noticeably black children. My children are on the lighter side. Though they are beautiful as well. I always wanted to have a little girl with braids, beads and various hair accessories. ;-) Our family could definitely use a bit more melanin up in here. ;-) Along with Asian, Asian Indian, Native American, Arab, and Caucasian children too. We'd just prefer a black or mixed with black sibling set first. However, we are open to other ethnicities as well. Though I don't want to limit the Lord in whatever type of children He has for us, so we are listing our preference but open to His leading.

I remember watching on either dateline or 20/20 when I was a teen, a BEAUTIFUL Christian family of about 20-22 children. They had children of every single color and ethnicity. They were such a close amazing family. I remember thinking that must be what the Kingdom of heaven looks like. I wish I could find the clip or blog of them online. (please pass it along if you find it) By George I'd like to see families on earth as it is in heaven! We are praying for at least 1 girl, 1 baby and 1 toddler and a 3 4, or 5 year old. We'll accept accept drug exposed etc. My heart has been flung open and far for children with blood disorders and other medical conditions from this whole situation with Josiah. At the present time I have a huge heart and burden for special needs and most especially, HIV orphans... Please keep us in prayer! Love ya'll. In Christ. Alida w5
To learn about HIV adoption click here

http://www.projecthopeful.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leslie-goldman/hiv-adoption-its-happenin_b_374762.html
http://www.positivelyorphaned.com/
http://fromhivtohome.blogspot.com/
http://www.adoption-link.org/chances-by-choice-program.aspx
http://heldts.blogspot.com/2007/01/raising-hiv-positive-child-hiv-and.html

A very neat family that I respect and love!

Jojo Update 2/20/10

My awesome friend Brenda went with me to take Josiah to see the doctor. She helps prick the doctors mind to think of every possible question to ask regarding treatment for Josiah. It was an especially important appointment. We finally got results of the bone marrow biopsy & aspiration. ( did you know that they drill a hole to get that ginourmous needle into your body? the needle is HUMONGOUS!!! Do you know when they do it to adults they keep you awake! MAJOR GAG!! )

Each doctor and nurse practitioner seems to have a different opinion on how Josiah is doing, what to do, and when to do it. We were told his bone marrow cellularity is up... almost 30%. To be Very Severe it would need to be around 10%. To be normal it would need to be around 50-70%. In November he was 16% so an improvement. Aplastic Anemia has 3 levels, Moderate (MA) Severe (SAA) and VERY Severe (VSAA). At the moment, Josiah is Moderate Aplastic Anemia. The nurse practitioner seemed to take the approach of "oh well, let's just keep transfusing him as he's not low enough for treatment." He has needed transfusions every 2-3 weeks. THIS ISN'T NATURAL, or healthy! Consider this.. "My son cannot survive without getting blood and platelet transfusions. How is this OK? Here is where a second opinion, me calling an expert in the field of Aplastic Anemia will come in. I will make my trip down to UCLA ASAP. When the actual DOCTOR came in I asked "so what are the negative consequences of receiving so many transfusions?" ( I mean come on, there has to be SOME consequence to receiving bi weekly transfusions) I'm REALLY GLAD I ASKED as she mentioned that the more transfusions you get, the more you antibodies you get from the wide range of people who donate the platelets. So if He's received 20 transfusions of platelets and each of those people have antibodies to certain things, then JOSIAH gets all those antibodies. The issue comes if/when he needs to get a bone marrow transplant. The more antibodies he has in his system and that he's exposed to, the more of a chance his body will reject the donor marrow. (Graft vs Host Disease) If your child has just been diagnosed with a Bone Marrow Failure Disease, please take this into serious consideration!

So, it is much better for Josiah to get platelets from only 1 or 2 people than it is from many. There are people who have offered to donate platelets for Josiah. We will need to accept the offer as it will give my son a better chance at survival than if we continue to do what we have been. It can NOT be a member of our family because if we donated the body would become familiar with our DNA and might develop antibodies to our DNA when /if he receives a BMT! (Bone marrow transplant) It gets tricky as we'll need to time it around times he is more likely to need a transfusion as platelets only last about a week. So we are kind of at the wait and see if he gets better or worse phase... yet AGAIN. They did mention getting the others kids tissue typed for a BMT just in case.

One really weird thing that happened was that me being the adoption advocate that I am, I was trying to persuade my friend who loves all things medical to foster a medically fragile child. She is a great mom and so loving and not at all freaked out by medical stuff that would gag most people. I told her how this whole thing with Josiah makes my heart break and more tender for those without parents and that have a chronic or life threatening diseases. Just then a little boy walks by and I immediately recognized him. He is one of the sibling sets i have PRAYED for! HE and his brother ages 4 and 2 are from the heart gallery. I have prayed for an adoptive home for them and asked the Lord to open doors if we should adopt them. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT I WOULD PRAY FOR THESE BOYS AND THEN SEE THEM and recognize them in the same section of CHOC where my own little boy is getting treatment! A HUGE God thing, so either the Lord wants them in our family or we are to fervently continue praying for a home for them. Aren't they CUTE!!!

10 Ideas: Ministering to Orphans

10 Ideas: Ministering to Orphans
FamilyLife’s Hope for Orphans

Today there are an estimated 143 million children who are orphans or are in a foster care system. Yes, it’s a big number. And it can be difficult to know how one person can make a dent in a reality so daunting. However, one Christian—every Christian—can make a difference. There are many things you can do on behalf of the orphan. Here are ten to consider:

1. Plead with the Father for them.
Pray while waiting. Go online to find a listing of children who are waiting for a home (www.adoptuskids.org or www.rainbowkids.com). Print out a picture and description of a child and tape it to your dashboard. Every time you find yourself waiting—in traffic, at a stoplight, in the drive-through—pray for this child. Plead with the Father on his or her behalf.
Pray as a family. Cut and paste a picture of a child who needs a home to make bookmarks for your entire family. Commit as a family to pray for this child every time you open your book.
Pray as a church. Organize an evening prayer vigil on behalf of orphans and waiting children. Invite other churches to join you as well. You can pray for children all over the world or you can ask your local foster care office for pictures and names of children in your city to pray for.

2. Speak up for them.
In your wallet or purse, keep a picture of a child who needs a home. When you are visiting with other believers, pull out the picture and ask if they, or someone they know, would give this child a home.
Become a Court Appointed Special Advocate. These are people from all walks of life who volunteer their time to get to know children in foster care and speak to the court on their behalf. Visit www.nationalcasa.org for more details and to find an office near you.

3. Give them what they need.
Give an orphanage a washing machine, a crib, or a package of diapers. You can designate financial gifts to be used for an item of your choice to be given to an orphanage in the country of your choice. To learn more visit www.helporphans.org and click on the “Gift from the Heart” link in the slide show at the top of the page.
Organize a drive to collect school supplies or shoes in your church or Sunday school department. To learn more visit www.gainusa.org (click on “Projects”) or www.shoesfororphansouls.org.

4. Support those who support them.
Mow the lawn of a foster family, offer to babysit, or organize a few days worth of meals when a new child is placed in their home. And make sure you tell them often that you appreciate what they do.
Throw a shower for a family adopting an older child. Often showers aren’t thought of for adoptive families, especially when the adoption involves an older child. This will serve as a great encouragement to any adoptive family.
Sponsor a local child welfare social worker. Commit to praying for him or her and send gifts or notes of encouragement.

5. Provide them a safe place.
Consider becoming a foster parent or emergency foster parent (for short-term placements). Attend an inquiry meeting at your local foster care office to learn more.
Build an orphanage—it’s not as hard as it sounds. Visit www.worldorphans.org to learn how a gift of $4,000-8,000 can cover the building costs of a new orphanage in one of dozens of countries. These homes are built in conjunction with a local church. Consider raising this money as a small group, Sunday school class, or youth ministry.

6. Go visit them.
Go on a mission trip to an orphanage. You can go on a construction trip, a medical trip, or a trip to help conduct vacation Bible school. Taking your family on an orphanage mission trip can be life changing. Visit the following websites for more information:
www.gainusa.org
www.helporphans.org
www.hopechest.org

7. Give sacrificially to them.
Support reputable orphan care organizations on an ongoing basis.
Give financially to a family in the process of adoption. See www.shaohannahshope.com and www.lifeintl.org for more information about financial assistance for adoptive families.

8. Cheer them on
Sponsor a child. This includes both monthly financial support and a ministry of ongoing encouragement through letter writing. Visit www.hopechest.org or www.visiontrust.org for more information.
Over 20,000 teenagers a year “age out” of the U.S. foster care system with no place to call home. Call your local foster care office and let them know you have the desire to be a support for a child who is aging out of foster care.

9. Give them a forever family
You can give a child a home through international, domestic, or foster care adoption. To learn more about these three types of adoption call 1-800-FLTODAY to order a free booklet entitled Welcome Home: Eight Steps to Adoption. You can also download this resource, explore other information, and identify key adoption agencies at www.HopeForOrphans.com.

10. Mobilize your church for them.
Churches all over the country are making the decision to launch ministries expressly dedicated to the orphan and waiting child. The impact has been remarkable. To learn more about how you can be the catalyst in your church for a sustained orphans ministry, visit www.shaohannahshope.org or www.HopeForOrphans.com.

God is not looking to you to solve the problem. You are only to be faithful to do what He is asking you do. These ten things represent steps of faithfulness ... some small, some big. But whatever you do, remember this promise in His Word:

And if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday. And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:10-11

So, we had our utrasound..

Well we had our first appt with my midwife yesterday. We were all so curious to see if there was 1 baby or two. My kids have been praying for TRIPLETS! They have friends that are triplets and REALLY want to experience life with 3 baby siblings. Aren't they sweet?

Interestingly enough even our ultrasound tech is in the process of adopting..
From China and Ethiopia of all places! We both shared our passion for Ethiopia and how we both hope to adopt from there. I've met tons of people in person that want to adopt, none from Ethiopia. They must all live in some OTHER part of the country ;-)

Well to our surprise there is only ONE little bundle one the screen! Yet another "Singleton" for us! I asked the Ultrasound tech to make SURE they weren't more. This is the ONLY pregnancy with symptoms similar to my twins. I have been vomiting almost daily since I returned from our ladies homeschool retreat! In fact each time I'm in the car I remind myself or the kids to make sure there is a disposable cup in the car. Nothing worse than being on the freeway and scrambling for SOMETHING TO GET SICK in. Ick! I can't believe I am THIS SICK with ONE baby.

One surprising result of the ultrasound was that I am almost 16 weeks along instead of 11. This is VERY surprising for us as I has a very heavy 7-8 day long period while being pregnant! Weird. So we'll have a June, possibly May baby! So... I guess we are finally breaking out of the July Baby mold. Funny thing, though I'm not intuitive at all... I had a dream before I went in for the Ultrasound where I felt the baby kick and in my dream someone told me that the reason I felt the baby move is because I was further along than what I thought.

I expected to be a couple days off but not a whole month! The other thing is, usually by now my morning sickness is long gone. I would be shocked if this continues the whole pregnancy. Well, could happen, this baby is just DIFFERENT! ;-) Anyhoo, We had hoped /prayed for twins again.. but we are so thrilled that we'll have our sweet little "Singleton" maybe that's what we'll name him? haha! and it is sweeter still that we'll get to hold this baby way sooner than planned! Thanks for sharing our joy! Alida w4

Roll Call

All is going well with us! Other than extreme morning (24/7) sickness, we are fine. We finally signed up for the first time EVER with a midwife! We will finally get a homebirth. I have waited 4 YEARS and two babies for my homebirth waterbirth. I don't need to worry about who will watch my children because they will be here at home with us! What a relief. We are so done waiting for county to come back with whether or not we can adopt that Huatzin decided we will go the international route. We have called and called repeatedly about our application to foster/adopt and finally were told they think they lost Huatzin's fingerprints months ago! Huatzin chose Ethiopia. (personally Ethiopia is a bit common /popular these days and I like the road less traveled (Ghana, Rwanda, Burkina Faso) but if my awesome husband says that we have a child in Ethiopia, then by golly, we have a child in Ethiopia! Now we just need to find an agency willing to take us while pregnant. Many have rules against it, but not all. I just saw This blog and it was a family ( pregnant wife) that just got back from Ethiopia with 2 beautiful boys and is due in 62 days! Also this one! A family with 2 babies, 1 bio 1 adopted form Ethiopia being raised as twins! Precious!

We are So BLESSED! We found what I think is our new church. We got kicked out of one due to Josiah. What is funny is that while we were there, they were speaking on Leviticus and on how those with the name Kohen (Cohen) are descendants of Aaron and High Priests. It just so happens that WE are Cohen's so they through the youngest little Cohen , descendants of Aaron OUT of the Church! lol. If that isn't ironic. We were later told that "there is a place for babies" and that "at least one person in the congregation was an unbeliever) (I guess the Holy Spirit can't convict hearts in the presence of children! I figured if we can't ALL worship together then we won't worship there at all. We are an all or nothing family. ;-)

This last past weekend I got to spend the weekend with the wonderful ladies in my homeschool group in Yucaipa. It was a 3 day long mom's night out/slumber party. It was amazing. I am SO blessed! What the Lord shorted me in the area of functional family he more than made up in blessed friendships, godly mentors. I am blessed with so many Titus 2 loving mothers. I tell you for two years I prayed and fasted the Lord would give me godly friendships to help me reach my full potential in Christ and God superseded my every expectation. If you need a Titus 2 mother, pray, the Lord is faithful! Many folks lack even 1 mentor and I have handfuls. It was such a glorious weekend, so relaxing and fun. The theme was "peace be still" for you Homeschooling mamas. I hope to type up notes. If anyone is interested.

Regarding the elections, we have been asked by many people if we are thrilled with the results. Well, for those of us Black "scripture adhering Christians," (must emphasis that as many of my black friends say they are christian but don't bother reading scripture) it was a very bittersweet day. For those of you who studied the political beliefs of Martin Luther King Sr and Jr, and follow the ministry of Alveda King ( MLK Jr. niece) you'd know the day was disappointing. It's not that we don't want a black president, it's just that we were kind of hoping it wouldn't be Barack Hussein Obama! Nevertheless the Lord is still on the throne and nothing happens apart from His willing it. He sets up kings and takes them down. This is no different. Anyhoo, if you are interested, I have become a HUGE Alveda King fan. She was actually going to be aborted. Her mother asked her grandfather MLK Sr for money to pray for an abortion and he told her"you will not KILL my granddaughter, " he then went on to describe what she would look like as he had seen her in a vision. This is before the days of ultrasounds. Her life was spared, and for great purpose. She is a champion of abolishing abortion. You can Hear Alveda King Abortion Testimony at Supreme Court - 1/22/08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzTsrMTmRcY&feature=related I hope to include more on my blog later but she is part of quite a few really great ministries.. including
http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/ http://www.kingforamerica.com/Groups/1000030975/King_for_America/The_Community_Blog/The_Community_Blog.aspx http://www.priestsforlife.org/africanamerican/articles.htm Dr. Alveda King: 'Planned Parenthood, Stop Using and Lying to My Family' http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/984295787.html Dr. Martin Luther King's Niece Upset Abortion Business Using Uncle's Image MLK's niece: Pro-choice is pro-murder http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2007/09/20/news/porter_county/doc9789ac223bfab3c98625735c00051b6b.txtKings were and are VERY pro-life much in favor of protecting the civil liberties of EVERYONE including the unborn. Charles Colson, for example, said “Were he alive today, I believe he Martin Luther King Jr. ) would be in the vanguard of the pro-life movement.”

"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, 'The Negro cannot win if he is willing to sacrifice the future of his children for personal comfort and safety,' and, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere,"
Dr MLK Jr. 'infanticide, or infant killing, was stopped by the early Church, that was willing to risk their lives, to go out into the public square, and scoop up children that were destined to die'."
How can the “Dream” survive if we murder the children? Every aborted baby is like a slave in the womb of his or her mother. The mother decides his or her fate

One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws, but conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws."

"A just law squares with the moral law of the law of God. An unjust law . . . is out of harmony with the moral law."

"Let justice roll down like the waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."~ Martin Luther King

“before you go to bed tonight, more than 1500 babies will be killed in a black woman’s womb.”

Oh, God, what would Martin Luther King, Jr., who dreamed of having his children judged by the content of their characters do if he’d lived to see the contents of thousands of children’s skulls emptied into the bottomless caverns of the abortionists pits?

Dr. Alveda King, like her revered uncle before her, has dedicated much of her life to the civil rights movement, specifically defending the preborn, which she has called "the most compelling issue of all." She joins activists from the National Black Pro-Life Union, the National Pro-Life Black Caucus and the Life Education And Resource Network among others.
She has continued her long-term work as a civil rights activist, speaking out on issues that face society today. "I believe that School Choice is a pressing civil rights issue. Perhaps the most compelling issue of all is the life of the unborn," Alveda says. "Faith in God, and the commitment to fulfill His will for our lives -- not faith in government bureaucracy - is the key to positive action. Have faith in God!" This is the message that Alveda carries to the world.

Rodriguez Family Happenings

Please read this amazing yet tragic post of what happens when some minorities try to place children up for adoption! A must read! http://rbohlender.blogspot.com/2008/09/wholy-disturbing-story.html

It was the best of times it was the worst of times... ;-) We are so excited about our new baby and/or babies due in July. I love my husband so much! What a great guy. You gotta consider a man so incredibly special, when he looks at our 4 beautiful wonderful children and proudly states that he loves them so much that he wants many many more. He doesn't care how we get them either. He doesn't care if they are way darker or lighter than him, if they are biological or adopted or bear any resemblance to him at all. I gave my heart a very special man! A man that looks past stretch marks and an often times messy house and still tells me I am beautiful, gorgeous, and that he loves me, and often times shoots across the room to tackle me for hugs and kisses, whether I'm perfectly put together or not.

I am now pretty doubtful that we'll have twins. I am not a sick as I was with my boys. ( though the nausea is still pretty awful) I think I was just so hopeful. I don't EVER want to be pregnant again.. EVER! Though I have read that women that get a liver cleanse and kidney cleanse prior or becoming pregnant often without any morning sickness at all. Problem is, there is NEVER a time when I am not nursing a baby/toddler. I have been nursing for the last 7 years and am likely to be nursing for many more years to come. We can't decide whether or not to fork over all the money for the home birth or going the hospital route. I much prefer the homebirth waterbirth option.

The other thing that rips at my heart.. I desperately want to adopt. I recently read a story on how some black newborns are aborted because the birth mothers don't feel confident they'll find parents to adopt their black children. I would LOVE to adopt a house FULL of black children! How terrible. Ladies, if you know of ANYONE that has a minority baby that they want a safe loving home for, please consider OUR family.

Sadly, It has been 9 months since we sent in our application to become fost/adoptive parents and we have not heard back. It pains me so much to know that somewhere there are large sibling sets and single children languishing in foster care, waiting for the loving arms of their new parents and siblings. We are so eager to meet these special kids. I know, All in God's timing. I am starting to wonder if He is directing us to wait until our children are way older, or what. I have never HEARD about people having the issues we are having. I can only assume that this is a divine delay that is all a part of His plan. I TRUST that He holds our family size in His hand and that He will open the doors for us at His appointed time. Perhaps some of the children meant for our family aren't yet born? Nevertheless, It is hard to hear of many families bringing their children home while we wait with empty beds and rooms in our home. Sniff Sniff. I feel the Lord is calling us to wait for International adoption until we adopt our foster children. Well, more specifically, we don't feel a peace about stepping out to do international until we've adopted from foster care first. Does that make sense? I'm not quite sure what the purpose is for all the delay, but I do know that "For now we see things in a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now my knowledge is in part; then it will be complete, even as God's knowledge of me."1 Corinthians 13:12

We have seen gorgeous HIV kids, cerebral palsy kids, kids that have swallowed lye and have burned their esophagus (Caustic Ingestion) , (common in Liberia as many wash clothing with lye, the problem is they place them in unmarked bottles, so on hot days the kids drink it thinking it's water! They then need surgery to survive or they perish) (TO READ MORE CHECK OUT THIS BLOG http://peetfamilyinliberia.blogspot.com/2008/04/caustic-soda-injuries.html blind children, all of which we would definitely consider, along with quite a few healthy large sibling sets too.

Homeschooling is going Fine. The perfectionist in me knows it can be much better. The kids love learning and being with one another. I'm working on being more structured and organized. We will (from the recommendation of Marian Soderholm http://www.natureoflearning.com/index.html )begin doing a College schedule for all of the children. This frees up time to accomplish much more than what we are doing currently, and work on many more subjects! That is, if I can also come up with a balance of Flylady and Managers of Their Home! This year We'd LOVE to learn Spanish, German, and if we have time, a bit of Hebrew, Latin and Greek and guitar if at all possible. ( I'd love to also somehow encourage Canaan's love for art, science, building, design and architecture) It is so great to finally discover his passions as Elijah seems to be excel in everything language arts, mathematics, sports related and competitive in our family. )

The math curriculum we are doing will have the kids at least one or two years ahead if we can complete it this year! (our goal) I think that next semester we will really cut out so many field trips and classes as I don't have the stamina or energy to do it at the moment. (unless I can pull it together and be a bit more on schedule) I also want to incorporate more structured (less spur of the moment)preschool activities for Anaiah and Josiah. They want in on the action too! This year we have a huge focus on Character, serving and growing in the Lord. Makes for an adventure filled school week that's for sure! Don't worry, I WON'T be riddled with guilt if we don't accomplish even half of what I mentioned. There's always summer school! ;-) We keep in mind that "A man's heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9 I know the goals I have for my children come second to God's will for their precious little lives.

Be blessed as you make YOUR plans, but remember to be open to direction by the One whose will is perfect and whose Love, Mercy and COMPASSION are never ending and limitless! Love in Jesus Alida w4

Is Adoption Really a Christian Duty? - Christian World News - CBN News

Is Adoption Really a Christian Duty? - Christian World News - CBN News

RELATED LINKS:
Orphans Promise

Christian Alliance for Orphans

4Kids of South Florida

Caring World
CBNNews.com - The Bible tells us to care for the orphans and that task grows tougher each year. Right now, there are an estimated 140 million orphans worldwide.

How can we stem this tide? A group of Christian organizations and churches are working together to find the answer.


Please watch this video! Many ways to help and info included!
https://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/382078.aspx

Not everyone may be called to adopt, but we can all pray and we can
all act in some way as the body of Christ! May we be the hands and
feet of Jesus! James 1:27 27Pure religion and undefiled before God
and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their
affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. If this is
not something you are interested in, please delete. Alida

BTW if any of you went to the Orphan Summit and purchased
the cd's i'd love to borrow them, if you don't mind. :-)

Not much news on our adoption journey.

Well not much has changed on the status of our application. We are waiting in a sort of limbo waiting to even get our home study done. sigh. I sometimes wonder if the Lord is closing the door for us as it seems to be taking so long. I keep having to remind myself that it should be His will and not mine.

Day after day drags on, and still no word on our paperwork. :-( Waiting is hard. I want to be approved already and hold our children in my arms. I checked the website and two of our children had birthdays. sniff sniff, they had birthdays without their mama and daddy, and loving siblings. ;-( We love these kids but we truly are open. if the Lord wants to do something completely different. Though I really would like to adopt these particular children, only the Lord knows what is best and who would be the right match. A gal I met recently encouraged me by telling me that "God already knows which children are for us, He knew it before He created the foundations of the world, Even Before I was created, they were mine. " ;-) Well when you look at it that way. i seem,s so much easier to trust Him and His timing. It is still hard to be patient.

We were even prayerfully considering a teen that is raising a 5 year old. We don't want to limit God in what gifts He'd have for us or what the package (children) will look like. Truly, only He knows what is right for our family.

It breaks my heart to see so many orphans and kids in foster care all over! All different ages needing loving homes. I don't know how folks aren't completely grieved about the number of children going to bed hungry and/or parent-less each night. But I realize that this isn't every persons calling in life.. Did you know
Nearly 40 percent of American adults, or 81.5 million people, have considered adopting a child, according to the National Adoption Attitudes Survey. If just one in 500 of these adults adopted, every waiting child in foster care would have a permanent family?Isn't that amazing? Anyhoo, if you want to check out a cute video, watch this. Be blessed in Jesus Christ, our GLORIOUS REDEEMING SAVIOR! :-)

Buy a FROSTY from Wendy's/ help kids in foster care June 14th 7 15th!

Dear Friends
For a cause close to my heart!
Let's go to Wendy's to help kids in foster care. Bring Dad to Wendy's ( www.Wendy's.com/ ) this weekend and buy him a Frosty. For every Frosty sold June 14 and 15 (at participating locations), Wendy's will donate 50 cents to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption ( www.davethomasfoundation.org ) , a non-profit charity devoted to increasing the number of adoptions from U.S. foster care. We will be going both days. I just LOVE Dave Thomas. He has been coined the patron saint of Adoption. :-) - Dave Thomas and www.stevencurtischapman.com of www.shaohannahshope.org have done SO much for orphans and adoption. Here is a cute quick video regarding the Frosty Project. Pass it on, be Blessed! Alida
To see your message come to life click here:
http://www.rockinfrosty.org/retreive.asp?name=Alida&fname=Alida&message=Let's%20go%20to%20Wendy's%20to%20help%20kids%20in%20foster%20care.

BTW if you are interested in adoption or considering I have a brochure I can give you if you are local, otherwise you can order one for free from Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

Considering Adoption?
Today in America, 129,000 children wait in foster care for a safe, loving and permanent home. In Canada, 30,000 children wait. You can help by learning about foster care adoption and taking the next best step, ordering a

A Beginner's Guide to Adoption
Our signature adoption resource. "A Child is Waiting: A Beginner's Guide to Adoption", will help you learn more about the adoption process. Available in Spanish-language and Canadian versions.

Got Questions? Give us a call:
1.800.ASK.DTFA (1.800.275.3832)


http://www.familylife.com/site/c.dnJHKLNnFoG/b.3210773/k.A6A5/Hope_for_Orphans.htm
Home - FamilyLife.com- 2 visits - Apr 28 A family ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Resources such as the Home Builders Couples Series, the Family Life Parenting Conference, Family Life ...
www.familylife.com/
Quick Links:
Visit a Wendy's. Buy a Frosty.
Support the cause of foster care adoption. During Father’s Day Weekend, June 14 and 15, participating Wendy’s will donate 50 cents from the sale of every Frosty product to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. >>