Unexpected Update :)

I was conversing with our contact at the agency today, as I'm donating a lot of the clothes that didn't sell to our orphanages in Ethiopia.  Soooo excited about that.  Seriously, I think more excited than if they had all sold and I had earned another $300+ from them (there are more clothes than you can even imagine).  I love the thought of all those little kids having some nice outfits, and our clothes going to a place where they are in such need.  In the duration of the conversation, Sally (our contact at the agency) told me that we had just moved up to 14th on the waiting list, and they had just been informed of approx. 7 more referrals coming the agency's way soon.  Each move up is one step closer to it being our turn!! So exciting.  Please pray for my patience as we creep up the waiting list.  Sally was so right.  Its so exciting as we continue to move up the list, but as we inch closer and closer to the top the wait becomes even more difficult.  A coined phrase Brian and I have (since every child we've had, including Isabel, has made us wait lol) is "I hate wait" LOL!!  So, I figure that is one of the many reason's God keeps giving me opportunities to get better at waiting :)  I am so thankful He has blessed us with a really smooth and pretty speedy timeline thus far.  Just praying, if it be His will, that it continues!  I will say, that as we walk the path of life, I have learned that His timing is always the perfect timing, not ours.  Doesn't mean our crazy, impatient, human minds don't forget that from time to time lol.  Guess I need another project to keep me occupied!  That garage sale was a GREAT June distraction :)  God Bless you all!!

Best Day Ever!

As declared by Jasmine as she skipped into the house this evening :) And I must agree today was a great day!  Took the kids out with grandma to the religious store (Dominic's FAVORITE store) and proceeded to add yet another thing to their list of "items to get in their inventory" LOL!  I always ask for the most random things, I amuse myself... and they know me by name now haha.   Then the afternoon brought a few surprises.  Brian walks in two hours early with flowers :) And we are able to vacuum out the pool to get it clean.  As we are cleaning the pool we handed the hose to the kids on the other side of the yard.  Oh the joy a hose can bring!! Jasmine doused Dominic, Melanie got everyone, Dominic chased his sisters... oh the squealing and joy that were oozed from those moments.  Then the surprised they were not expecting today.  The pool is ready early!! Everyone rushed into suits screaming with excitement and running through the house.  The older girls are doing surprisingly well without any floaties (including jumping off the diving board and swimming across the pool). Dominic has discovered the slide already and Melanie is just happy to be a part of it all.  As everyone scoots into the house Jasmine announces to no one in particular (and I'm really not sure who even heard her): "Best Day Ever!".   And of course... me, you know the crazy lady always in some state of contemplation lol, thinks how much we can learn from kids.  In fact, I think we should all have as many kids as it takes to get ourselves set right LOL. In scripture it says we must be as children to enter the Kingdom of heaven.  And I could write (and probably will over the course of time) 50 blogs about the aspects of being a child that we should model after as we seek the Kingdom of Heaven. I am so thankful God has blessed me with 4 (going on 5 YAY) children to serve as CONSTANT reminders of this in so many ways.  But today, I think about what it takes to have joy.  Today, we were not at Disney World, we did not purchase any extravagant gift... the rules were not even bent :)  We just gave them a hose and let them swim with the family (and don't doubt that Daddy coming home early with flowers for Mommy didn't brighten their day as well).  The joy in what IS, and not seeking after more is something kids are SO great at. I've heard, and try to live "Live life as though you never need a vacation"... and in many ways I think today was an example of that.  How do you do this?  When you are working outside, don't be miserable in the work you have... squirt each other with the hose.  When you finish your work don't consider your swim in the pool something you deserve because you worked so hard.... but a fun thing you are blessed to be able to do.  The kids don't expect that they get to swim everyday just because we have a pool.  Being able to swim is SO EXCITING whenever we tell them they can do it.  They find joy in the moment, and are so much better at living in the present than adults.   And God is in the present. You will find Him and you will find Joy if you live in the present.  While kids do enjoy getting things (quite frankly mostly because we give them to them and they have learned this) their true Joy, their "best days ever" are having fun with people.  Laughing, and enjoying life.  Running at the park, picking flowers, helping Mommy cook, dousing their siblings with the hose....   And what, as adults are we so often seeking after?  We are often rushing through those moments, to be able to get to.... what exactly?? What IS it that is so important that we miss living life?  Quite honestly I can think of nothing.  And as I spent the day swimming with my kids, in a pool that desperately needs to be painted..   And an evening cleaning up the yard with my husband, and an evening swim with him, I couldn't be happier.  You could place me on any beach, offer me any material item and it would not make a difference.  Each moment of life is a blessing, and you are exactly where you are meant to be.  Embrace it, and make every day your "Best Day Ever!"  God Bless!!!

Weeds

Random meanderings of my crazy lil mind :)

Yesterday, I go out in our back yard.  And after weeks of little rain I take a look at our yard.  Our grass is 90% yellow and dried up... but what is flourishing in all it's glory?? The WEEDS!!  Of course! LOL! Aren't they a beautiful joy???  And looking at this sight, the Parable of the Weeds comes to my mind.  Not necessarily looking in depth at all the angles of the parable, as that can be done for some time.... but just the reality of Weeds, both spiritually and in reality.  I look at my yard, and the good things, the beautiful things... the flowers, the grass... the things we WANT to see, take time, love and constant dedication to flourish.  If we ignore them, without major grace from God (in the means of rain in this case lol) they dry up and die.  However, weeds.... give them next to nothing and they thrive... with very little effort, and steal the nutrients from the good things as well in the process.  In fact it is MORE work to be rid of them, then for them not to be around.   And isn't this the case in the spiritual life as well?  Isn't it SO easy, with very little effort, to find ourselves being lazy watching tv, ignoring our responsibilities... or to find ourselves thinking judging thoughts of others, or being tempted to talk badly of another (and watch how that weed grows!!! Spreads like DANDELIONS with a good breeze!) the list goes on and on.  It really takes, in many cases, concentrated effort over time to rid ourselves of these habits.... its easier not to!  But just like weeds in a garden, they steal the good from us... they creep into us and make our whole garden YUCK LOL.  And the things that make us beautiful, the things people actually WANT to see, take a lot of constant work and dedication and whole lots of grace from God...  But when you look at a garden (both in my metaphor and in reality) that has had the time and dedication taken.... isn't it so breathtaking?  Isn't it like experiencing a little slice of heaven?  Doesn't it make you want to know... what do I do to make THAT happen?

That's all I got today :)  God Bless you all!!!

Moving on up!

THE WALKERS ARE NUMBER:



We got our wait list update today, and we've moved up a bit on the wait list.  June was a little slower than May with referrals, but they have been continuing with a steady pace.  And while we are 15 on the list, that doesn't necessarily mean we have months and months  to wait.  A number of the families ahead of us on the wait list are requesting different ages than us or more than one child (in which two referrals have to come in at the same time in order for them to be matched).  So, really its anyone's guess when we'll get the call.  I know many ask estimates, and if I were to guess, I would think August or September we'd be matched, but obviously that is just a guess and anything can happen at any time.  God's timing is always perfect :) Please keep praying for us as we attempt to patiently wait to see our babies face for the first time in those referral pictures!!

Angels in our midst

I continue to be in awe of how greatly God works in our lives when we just get out of the way. Things we cannot possibly comprehend, He already has all figured out. In Matthew 10:39 it is said that “whoever loses his life for my sake will find it,” and it is so true. We find our life, our true purpose, only when we completely abandon ourselves to His will. When He called us to adopt, all we knew was that He called us to adopt :) We really didn't know how this was going to work, if we would be approved, how exactly we were going to pay for all of it... etc. etc. etc. But we knew that He made His will very clear, and we had already found our life in giving it to Him. So, we trust, as He tells us over and over again in Scripture. God will provide, Do not worry, If you can care for your children how much better will He care of us.. etc. etc. This last few weeks was really our first opportunity to try to work to raise some extra money for this adoption. Prior to that we were so busy paper chasing and working at getting on the waiting list as fast as possible (our child is waiting for us!!!) that concerns of our own money was kind of a lesser focus. And even in those months God provided in so many unexpected ways. As many of you know we just did our first real fundraiser, a garage sale. And, while of course a garage sale does not a full adoption pay, we were abundantly blessed and have a great start towards our next big adoption bill. But our blessings were not just financial. In fact, for me, the blessing was even more in being able to see that there are literally angels in our midst. We are surrounded by them!! And God has hands and feet, and hearts and mouths speaking His words ALL over the place!! A very wise priest once told me “we are already in heaven, if we only had eyes to see.” And I have found that as we “lose our life for His sake” we start to see the heaven that we are already in. It is amazing to me... I stand in awe, of the truly selfless people that went out of their way to help us with this. Donations came out of the woodwork, people did whatever they could to promote our sale, or help us at the sale, so many people came and many donated just to GIVE, and left with nothing, but a smile on their face. This is so inspiring to me. Thank you all so much for letting Christ shine through you and your generous hearts. Know that you have encouraged us more than you know, and everything you did to help us will be multiplied, because in His hands He can feed 5000 with 2 loafs and 5 fish. And know that when this little child, finally sets his/her feet on American soil in the arms of parents who will love them forever, that you played a part in making that happen. Know that there is a child, that otherwise, might never know what it is like to be read a bedtime story, or have sisters and brother that are truly their own, and a mom and dad, and food and everything they will need to just LIVE, and you played a part in making that happen. And also know that without your selflessness there isn't a guarantee that it would be possible. God provides in many ways, you are one of them. So please do not feel that we are the ones doing this amazing thing. We are all doing what it is God called us to do to care for His children. We are so truly blessed, God bless you all and we are thanking Him for you and praying daily for all of the angels in our midst.  

Countdown Continues....

THE WALKERS ARE NUMBER:

 

PRAISE GOD!!  PLEASE KEEP THE PRAYERS COMING THAT REFERRALS KEEP UP AT A FAST RATE AND THE PROCESS CONTINUES TO MOVE SMOOTHLY!!

Thank  You!!!!!  God Bless!!!

This is what happens when I clean!

I've been cleaning my attic and house trying to find as many things as possible for our garage sale (Fri June 29 and Sat June 30... mark your calendars and start spreading the word!!!). And as I've been doing that and starting to clean out my laundry room and other areas of my house I just stumbled across my third, new in the package, space blanket. And it made me smile. This may not mean much to many of you... but any of you who have joined the Walker family via Youth Ministry and specifically World Youth Day, probably also smiled when then read that. It came to mind how many things like this bring a smile to my face, and its because of the priceless ten years in youth ministry, and four World Youth Day pilgrimages that I am graced with so many humorous thoughts and my thinking is marked for life in certain unique ways.. As I sat looking at the space blanket for a few moments I thought of a few... and thought I'd share...

Space Blankets – packed for every WYD to help keep warm when sleeping outside. So, of course seeing one instantly brings me to the two WYD's spent sleeping in VERY cold conditions.... but also, of their additional, unadvertised, purpose, of 'shelter from a CRAZY storm'... and was used for twice, hiding underneath as rain pelted down and crazy winds blew.

Bright t-shirts and accessories – Stumble across an orange bucket hat and remember standing at a restaurant after the adventure of a trip to a German hospital with Michelle wondering if we'll ever find our group again... and 11 orange hats walk right in front of us :) When making shirts and hats... first thought? Can we spot it from a long distance??

Straight black wire – Bent out hanger you think? NOPE.... instantly I see this in my garage, and know “FLAMINGO LEG”!!! Which of course reminds me of two years of flamingo flocking under the dark of night... :)

Cardboard box – EVERY time I see a box bigger than a bread box, I instantly think “I wonder if someone could fit in there and sleep?”

Praise and Worship songs – I often find myself looking around thinking “There are motions to this song!!! Doesn't everyone know that?!”

Sleep – OPTIONAL!! And it doesn't really matter if the sleep we do get is under a tree, on a bus, in a hostel, in a cardboard box, in the dirt/on the pavement... or actually in a hotel!! And I also find that I almost always now keep hotel doors propped during waking hours... because someone “might need to come by”..... and also know that if you DO choose to sleep, pictures MAY be taken of you, and will likely end up all over various forms of multimedia...

Packing – Our attic is adorned with 8 brightly colored backpacks, and newly purchased carry on back packs.... which I now look at and think “I could pack for a 16 day trip in that”

The fundraising skillz – Excel is used to organize youth ministry events and fundraising, yes? I can rattle off with little effort, the costs/profits/work required for any fundraiser from spaghetti dinners, to tigers games, to selling statues to selling pies!!!

The added twist of travelling with a pilgrim family – Every picture/experience has humor and history behind it. We look at pictures of Lourdes for example... and of course I reflect on the Marian procession and the grotto … but not ONCE do I NOT think of Jackie lugging 5 gallons of holy water all over France and Germany following our visit to Lourdes :)

Shoe shopping – Its kind of ingrained in me, when shopping for new tennis shoes, to think “can I walk 5 miles in these?”... even though I don't always need to, I've needed to so many times its almost second nature :)

Waiting for food or anything for that matter – is not a noticeable event any longer. After waiting for hours for slop many times... you kinda learn that its the “journey not the destination” and learn to enjoy your life while waiting :)

IMPOSSIBLE NOT A WORD – If I've learned one thing in this journey through ministry, is that absolutely NOTHING is impossible with God. And you will never hear that word from me :)

There are so many memories, and so many yet to be made on this journey called life :) The memories and lessons are endless, I can only be so thankful for every single “yes” we've given as it has shaped our lives and made them so full!!! And we've collected so many family members along the way :)  And, see... now THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I CLEAN!!! LOL!!