Ok WOW. I am finally sitting back down to a blog entry I intended on finishing Wednesday of last week. God was orchestrating things so beautifully, and this is what I wrote:
Folks this is a love story written from the pages of God's own heart. My heart is soaring today because of the love and response I have gotten from the incredible network of friends and family as Jeremy and I prepare to head into the next 3 1/2 months with four additional children. That makes the total number of people in our house to be 8. And we only have 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Yikes! We wouldn't be doing this without the committed support of my parents (who will sleep the boys at there house on week nights) and my brother and sister-in-law (who will take all 4 every other weekend).
I feel like I need to sit down and track the ways that God has provided since this phone call took place on Friday. And I also need to let those of you who are asking know exactly how we could use help. The Lord has been absolutely incredible and I don't believe my heart has been so full for a very long time.
By Friday, I was a nervous wreck again as a new issue arose, and this week we are praying that all of the obstacles we are facing will be ironed out and that Jeremy and I with the help of my parents will be approved to keep all four kids. It seems to never fail that our Adversary tends to rear his ugly head when people are making the most deep and lasting changes of their lives. So if you pray, pray that God's will is done this week, and that none of us stumble over these new challenges.
One day I will tell this story from start to finish... how a God has so carefully designed and prepared each of us for this; how my whole family miraculously aligned in answering the call to help a family who desperately needed it; how my husband didn't even bat an eye at taking this on, though our own financial situation is difficult; how I just quit my job weeks previous to work in Pendleton and give more time to my home based business (leaving no obstacles to overcome as far as childcare goes); how my son and daughter have so seamlessly made this transition... Addi especially, hugging me so tightly around the neck when I told her all 4 would be staying; and how Addi, the morning of our life-changing phone call, had already had her friends' name on her lips, as she prayed for God to bring her back over for a visit soon.
I have come to really appreciate my kids' minds, they really seem to 'get' things. The week leading up to all of this, Addi and Sam were both literally begging me to adopt a Haiti baby. I find myself begrudgingly explaining the difficulties of adoption, knowing that none of it made sense to their childlike minds. I credit their desire to help those less fortunate to the many books and stories we have read through Homeschooling. Our curriculum has opened their minds to the struggles and realities in the world and the impact God-followers have made, which has left them both desperate for their turn to do something incredible. I found myself praying as well, that God would give us a chance to put our words to actions and serve in any capacity he may have.
It is incredible to see how God had so prepared each of our hearts for this, so that when the call came it didn't take much convincing for each of us to feel comfortable with taking this on. Our stumbling upon Safe Families was an absolute God-send as well, and I can't even begin to explain how perfect this organization has served our need. Their purpose is to help families that are in crisis by placing the kids with a "Safe Family" while the parent(s) work to get themselves stable, without the kids having to be placed in foster care. We are a God-send to these kids as well, and the prayers of the two older boys over dinner have left my mother and I with quivering chins, "Thank you for giving us a family that cares about us and loves and feeds us... and please help them all to go to Heaven." Too many miracles and beautiful moments to count. That being said, it doesn't mean things are easy, or that I don't feel entirely under slept at this point, with hours of housework ahead of me. Aside from the prayer requests I already mentioned, these are a few of our needs:
1. Organizationals: for clothes, shoes, backpacks, school papers etc. Keeping track of things is not my strong point and I am so hoping that we don't lose half of the things they do have! (heck I will even take some tips from anyone who has a lot of kids and knows how to do this).
2. Food/Household items: We do have the ability to receive some help with groceries through their Mom's aid, so non-essentials are more pressing, i.e. soap, toothpaste, laundry detergent, toilet paper, etc (I'm sure there is more but my brain is functioning at a very low level right now...)
3. Vitamins: These kids are pretty healthy, but have scratchy throats and runny noses. Their nutrition has definitely been limited however, as they had quite a few meals from the soup kitchen this summer, so I would really love to get them on some daily vitamins. If you are familiar with my Shaklee business, this is another way you could support us. I am a distributor for Shaklee corporation, and I use my earnings to purchase laundry detergent, cleaning products and vitamins for our family. I would love to be able to get the kids on a basic chewable vitamin (they have devoured the bottle of Incredivites I already had), plus some vitamin C and maybe even some fish oil if they can take it and some protein. Both of the boys have been on and off ADD medication (although I don't see it) and I feel that a good nutritional plan could do wonders. If you want to help out here, just let me know... I'm pretty picky about vitamins and would prefer to stick with the same brand.
4. Gas: I had hoped to have a bit of a budget set out for a ballpark of what our monthly costs could look like, and how far above they are from when we currently have. However, I just haven't gotten there yet. We have received some generous donations from friends and family that have allowed me to play catch up in my checking account. Last week there was constant running back and forth to Indianapolis for school and belongings, and tomorrow will most likely be my last trip. I expect our gas bill to be much lower next week, but going anywhere will now take 2 cars.
If anyone would like to donate to our new and large family, Jeremy does have a PayPal account set up through thejeremyj@gmail.com We have decided that any extra funding we may receive over the next few months will stay in this account and will be given to their Mom at the end of our contract (end date is December 31).
5. Random:
-Anyone have a decent fold out couch they aren't using? Might officially allow me to have enough beds in my home.
-The bathroom project needs to come to completion. We are fully functional, but finish work must be done ASAP to receive approval to house the children.
-Oh and Jeremy needs a new job and I need the 2 gigantic zits on my chin to go away by morning.
Thanks so much for reading, for your prayers, love and support. Means the world to us.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
A big change...
It's 10:27 pm and I just got 6 children to sleep on my couch and floor. My life has taken an unexpected turn this weekend.
What would you do if a single mother of four children called you asking for help? Help because she was facing eviction with nowhere to go, help because she didn't have a car and she couldn't keep walking/finding rides to her job anymore, while trying to manage 3 kids in school, plus homework, plus a 4 year old. Who could handle that?
For quite a while now I have had itchy feet. For many months, maybe over a year, my heart has been very open to whatever God might like to do with my/our life. I have felt very frustrated and complacent lately, praying so often for God to give me some "orders" for where to focus my life.
I still don't feel like I have the answers to all of those questions that have been stirring in my heart and mind for the past few years. Previous entries on this blog reveal a small part of the process God has led me through in recent years, landing me in a place where my heart is open and ready to serve the world in any capacity he may call me to.
And Friday there came a call. I guess it was a call to serve, but I didn't really see it that way at first. It was just a call out of desperation, from one mom to another, asking for a reference for someone who did Foster Care or Temporary Guardianship, because it was probably only a matter of time until CPS would come knocking. I had watched her daughter for her over the summer, and I suppose she felt like perhaps I could be of some help. She was trying to stop a bad situation from getting worse, trying desperately not to lose her children.
So I said I'd call around. And I did. I called Jeremy first, then made a call for some legal advice, and the next day I picked all four half nervous/half excited kids up, squeezed them in my car after kissing and hugging their mother goodbye (knowing she was only doing this to get herself to a point of stability), and drove off.
If a call for help can be planned according to God's perfect timing, this one was. I drove them that day an hour away to Cambridge City where my family had made plans to stay for Labor Day weekend. That's right, I crashed the party and showed up with 4... no 5 extra kids (we picked up their cousin too, just for the night). And what was my family's response to adding 5 mouths to feed to an already jam packed house for a short weekend?
Beautiful, Christ-like love... that was their response. Five kids were greeted with hugs like their arrival had been anticipated for weeks. Five kids were loved and played with and treated like one of the clan (our family contributed 6 kids already). Eleven kids played together for 2 days, mine hardly even asking any questions about why they were staying with us or where they came from. A good 2 hour soccer game took place (led by my brother Luke), a short and disorganized kickball game (led by Hillary and I...hence the disorganization), and a lot of time wondering around the 5 acres, driving the Barbie Jeep, playing Croquet, and swinging on a tree. A better weekend for this situation to be dropped on our laps could not have been planned by any human's effort. I believe that God hears us when we call for help, and Friday a scared mother called for help, and He answered.
As the kids were being kids, there were many, of course, discussions happening on our end as well. Jeremy was extremely supportive, finding no other way to make this whole thing make sense other than the fact that God had put them in our lives. My parents, sister and brothers all felt the same way. God reminded me of a conversation I had with someone months earlier about an organization that works through churches to arrange stable homes for families that are in crisis. I knew this is what we needed, and after a bit of work, I found Safe Families who assured me that we legally do this, keeping the kids out of Foster Care, yet placing them with a family or families while the mother makes better arrangements. I was so thankful that God had brought this conversation to mind as they are handling the legality of things, and looking for a "safe family" in our area to house the 2 older kids, as we have committed to taking the 2 younger ones. My family pulled together to support us through this week by opening their work schedules, homes and wallets to help us do this. I don't believe I have ever been so thankful and felt so loved by my entire family as I did this weekend.
If you think of it, say a prayer for this week. Pray these great kids (did I mention they are AWESOME kids?) and Jeremy and I, plus our own two survive the week, and are able to get everyone to school on time! Pray that the right family comes along to house the two older boys for 90 days at least. And pray for mom who is trying very hard to turn her life around. I can't imagine being 9 and 10 years old, and being "ok" with changing families and school systems, but amazingly these kids are. They are nervous I can tell, but know it is for the best, and they know that their mom loves them and is working hard to make a stable life for all of them.
Meanwhile, we have been having fun. Today I made macaroni with peas in it (and NO ONE ate it because of the peas), rode bikes and skateboards and roller blades in the rain, played twister, the Wii, got pooped on by Addi's guinea pig, and ended the day with all 6 crashing out to the Cosby show. There have been many, many times today (especially when attempting to walk with 6 kids, 2 wagons and 1 dog to the Chinese Restaurant) that my mind has flashed back to the ways of the kids at the orphanage at Mission Haiti, ran by the 74 year old Ms. Phyllis. Those kids aren't your normal kids, they are incredible kids that love each other like family and are thankful for every meal and bed they get. The kids sleeping on my couch hold a piece of the same perspective; they are thankful, I heard it time and time again this weekend, followed by, "Your not even family and your treating us like we are..." They understand hardship, and they are thankful. If Ms. Phyllis can handle 30 plus, I can handle 6.... for a week :)
There are a lot of needs here, but God is incredibly meeting them in a timely fashion. I am blown away by how perfect his timing actually is.
Will continue to update as things progress.
What would you do if a single mother of four children called you asking for help? Help because she was facing eviction with nowhere to go, help because she didn't have a car and she couldn't keep walking/finding rides to her job anymore, while trying to manage 3 kids in school, plus homework, plus a 4 year old. Who could handle that?
For quite a while now I have had itchy feet. For many months, maybe over a year, my heart has been very open to whatever God might like to do with my/our life. I have felt very frustrated and complacent lately, praying so often for God to give me some "orders" for where to focus my life.
I still don't feel like I have the answers to all of those questions that have been stirring in my heart and mind for the past few years. Previous entries on this blog reveal a small part of the process God has led me through in recent years, landing me in a place where my heart is open and ready to serve the world in any capacity he may call me to.
And Friday there came a call. I guess it was a call to serve, but I didn't really see it that way at first. It was just a call out of desperation, from one mom to another, asking for a reference for someone who did Foster Care or Temporary Guardianship, because it was probably only a matter of time until CPS would come knocking. I had watched her daughter for her over the summer, and I suppose she felt like perhaps I could be of some help. She was trying to stop a bad situation from getting worse, trying desperately not to lose her children.
So I said I'd call around. And I did. I called Jeremy first, then made a call for some legal advice, and the next day I picked all four half nervous/half excited kids up, squeezed them in my car after kissing and hugging their mother goodbye (knowing she was only doing this to get herself to a point of stability), and drove off.
If a call for help can be planned according to God's perfect timing, this one was. I drove them that day an hour away to Cambridge City where my family had made plans to stay for Labor Day weekend. That's right, I crashed the party and showed up with 4... no 5 extra kids (we picked up their cousin too, just for the night). And what was my family's response to adding 5 mouths to feed to an already jam packed house for a short weekend?
Beautiful, Christ-like love... that was their response. Five kids were greeted with hugs like their arrival had been anticipated for weeks. Five kids were loved and played with and treated like one of the clan (our family contributed 6 kids already). Eleven kids played together for 2 days, mine hardly even asking any questions about why they were staying with us or where they came from. A good 2 hour soccer game took place (led by my brother Luke), a short and disorganized kickball game (led by Hillary and I...hence the disorganization), and a lot of time wondering around the 5 acres, driving the Barbie Jeep, playing Croquet, and swinging on a tree. A better weekend for this situation to be dropped on our laps could not have been planned by any human's effort. I believe that God hears us when we call for help, and Friday a scared mother called for help, and He answered.
As the kids were being kids, there were many, of course, discussions happening on our end as well. Jeremy was extremely supportive, finding no other way to make this whole thing make sense other than the fact that God had put them in our lives. My parents, sister and brothers all felt the same way. God reminded me of a conversation I had with someone months earlier about an organization that works through churches to arrange stable homes for families that are in crisis. I knew this is what we needed, and after a bit of work, I found Safe Families who assured me that we legally do this, keeping the kids out of Foster Care, yet placing them with a family or families while the mother makes better arrangements. I was so thankful that God had brought this conversation to mind as they are handling the legality of things, and looking for a "safe family" in our area to house the 2 older kids, as we have committed to taking the 2 younger ones. My family pulled together to support us through this week by opening their work schedules, homes and wallets to help us do this. I don't believe I have ever been so thankful and felt so loved by my entire family as I did this weekend.
If you think of it, say a prayer for this week. Pray these great kids (did I mention they are AWESOME kids?) and Jeremy and I, plus our own two survive the week, and are able to get everyone to school on time! Pray that the right family comes along to house the two older boys for 90 days at least. And pray for mom who is trying very hard to turn her life around. I can't imagine being 9 and 10 years old, and being "ok" with changing families and school systems, but amazingly these kids are. They are nervous I can tell, but know it is for the best, and they know that their mom loves them and is working hard to make a stable life for all of them.
Meanwhile, we have been having fun. Today I made macaroni with peas in it (and NO ONE ate it because of the peas), rode bikes and skateboards and roller blades in the rain, played twister, the Wii, got pooped on by Addi's guinea pig, and ended the day with all 6 crashing out to the Cosby show. There have been many, many times today (especially when attempting to walk with 6 kids, 2 wagons and 1 dog to the Chinese Restaurant) that my mind has flashed back to the ways of the kids at the orphanage at Mission Haiti, ran by the 74 year old Ms. Phyllis. Those kids aren't your normal kids, they are incredible kids that love each other like family and are thankful for every meal and bed they get. The kids sleeping on my couch hold a piece of the same perspective; they are thankful, I heard it time and time again this weekend, followed by, "Your not even family and your treating us like we are..." They understand hardship, and they are thankful. If Ms. Phyllis can handle 30 plus, I can handle 6.... for a week :)
There are a lot of needs here, but God is incredibly meeting them in a timely fashion. I am blown away by how perfect his timing actually is.
Will continue to update as things progress.
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