Again

This is my friend Chelsea's little warrior girl, Maya. She's been working so diligently to raise funds and awareness for Maya and yesterday got the news that this sweet girl has a family committed to her! We're all pretty excited. Check out Chelsea's blog to read more about advocating for Maya. Can't wait to find out more about her family.

As I've been launching myself back into bloggy and orphan-advocating, I've been reminded by Maya's story again of God's faithfulness to be who He says He is, to be a Father to the fatherfless. He has shown Himself mighty to save. Again. Praising His faithfulness and mercy today.

Spreadin' the love....or the work.

We have a lot of work to do.

In fact, until Jesus returns we are called to be constantly doing one of three things: Working. Resting. Or Worshipping.

And by work I mean Kingdom work, and by rest I mean Kingdom rest (As in, not chocolate bar glutton rest and not endless hours of facebook rest. Real, healthful, body-spirit-soul rest. Says the chocolate-eating facebook addict. Not as I do, people. Not as I do.)

That being said, we have a lot of work to do. We are working with Christ in redeeming, in gardening the world. Our world is a mess, but our work is far from hopeless. Actually, our work is certain to succeed. Good will always prevail over evil in the end. Good is so much bigger than evil.

I digress. But happily. :)

My dear IRL* friend (to steal a phrase from this lovely blog), Chelsea, is working on raising money, like many of you, for a little Reece's Rainbow girl for the 5/5/5 project. I'd be delighted if you jumped over to her cute, green blog (doubtless she would be delighted as well) and poked around to learn more about her fundraising efforts and see what you can do to help.
*in real life

We're working together. We're gardening together. We have a lot of work to do.

And someOne has gone before us. Blessed be His name in all the earth.

Prayer Request

Guys! If you don't already read this blog, head over to No Greater Joy Mom. They have an urgent prayer request for a little boy named Vanya onn Reece's Rainbow. Click on the link to read about it and lets get praying for this boy!

Imperishable

Sorry, this is going to be a long one. I am not sleeping. I love sleep and it is rather late, but about 100 things are keeping me awake. First of all, the Gould family adoption fundraiser was a smashing success! I can't even describe how wonderful it all was and how faithful the Lord has been through the whole process. Originally my mom and I were heading it up, but I have a tendency to get really excited about and idea and rally and go crazy and then fall off the band wagon when things get tough. Its a sin and its wrong and God is really revealing that to me lately. Anyway, my mom was really the lady of the day, along with several other amazing women who have more perseverence than me. We held the event at Sodium, which is really a pretty amazing ministry in itself.

Michael and Julia enjoying some lunch.

My mom working the silent auction in her one less orphan shirt from the Elliots. She is my hero and my best friend. I love her. :)

The soon to be big sister of a beautiful Ethiopian sibling! Me working the silent auction. Lela Grace and the Gould's youngest son Ian (affectionately known as Sho on the blog:)

My brother Joseph (in the Titans shirt) and the oldest son of the family that lived with us last summer. Love them.

The Lord brought in SO much more money than any of us were expecting, which was such a huge blessing. I was so blown away and the thought I was carrying around in my head all day was "Lord, you really are good!" I think its something I know in my head all the time, but yesterday literally everywhere I turned all I could see was the goodness of the Lord. He is who He says He is. He is faithful. He is good.

The second reason I can't sleep is because of this girl.

Meet Diana.

Isn't she beautiful? Her precious little pixie cut and missing tooth, ah. Diana is an orphan on Reece's Rainbow. She has Cystic Fibrosis, a lung condition that is terminal if untreated. Diana needs a family badly so that she can get vital medical attention, her time is short and every breath is a struggle for her. Several people are working hard to get her story out there so if you have a blog or a facebook page be sure to share about Diana. You can see her information on the Reece's Rainbow website and visit Dreams For Diana which is a blog all about her! Her eighth birthday is approaching in April the 24th, wouldn't it be amazing if her forever family could commit to her by then? Please help spread the word where ever you can!

Finally, just lately I've been convicted about advocating for the orphan, sure, its easy to do on a blog or with people who already know about and love orphan care, but what about in everyday life? How can we get loud about orphans on a daily basis? I have several ideas that will probably each get a post in themselves in the next week but I do want to mention one thing.

At my school, the seniors final project is an oral defense of a thesis they have written. I've written about the thesis process before, but this year its a little different. We give a 3-5 minute speech in front of more than just the school and then answer three questions defending our thesis. My paper is about adoption and I am excited for the opportunity to get to share in a way and to a group that I wouldn't normally get to. While was at my teacher's house the other night practicing, she threw me a practice question about practical ways for people to get involved. I was surprised. I was expecting something a little more scholarly or historical perhaps. I listed off a few things, but now I am going to make a list and have several really doable ways for people to get involved in orphan care after hearing my speech. I am so excited and nervous, I really need the Lord to just use me and have it actually be all Him.

My pastor preached recently about Sodom and Gomorrah and about how God didn't destroy those cities because their was too much sin, but because their weren't any guardians. Not even 10 were to be found in the city, Abraham asked. We as Christians are called to be guardians and preists in this world, interceding and covering. We are called to be preservers. We are called to be salt.

This evening I was praying for Diana and asking the Lord for a specific verse for her.

"For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality."

~1 Corinthians 15:53~

What does salt do? Salt is a preservative. Salt makes that which is perishable, imperishable. God is swallowing up death in victory and we are a part of the story. We are the salt. He is making all things new.

So we do not loose heart.

Reece's Rainbow Warrior

Hey Everyone. So, if you haven't already, I wish you would first go read Joanna's Post about being an Orphan Warrior through Reece's Rainbow, before finishing this one. She really explains the amazing opportunity and the very accessible 'do-ability' of this ministry. I already am a Prayer Warrior for Avery (Prayer), and last year we did a one month warrior thing to raise money for Sergei. Reece's Rainbow also has an Orphan Warrior Project where you can commit, for one year, to raise money for a specific orphan with special needs. After much consideration, I have decided to spend this year advocating for Heidi. Isn't she precious? A absolutely love that silky brown hair and dark eyes and that precious open-mouthed half smile. Heidi has already been transerfered to an institution, and she is five years old. She doesn't have a personal grant, which means that all finances raised for her will go into a grant for all of the older down syndrome girls on RR. I don't quite understand how all of that works, but I do understand that Heidi needs a voice. And I have one to use on her behalf. Please pray for my sweet Heidi girl, and if you want to donate towards her adoption, email me at ama2@bellsouth.net. Thank you guys so much! I can't wait to get to "know" Heidi better while praying for her and advocating for her.

Thoughts on special needs

I've been, as you can tell, thinking a lot about special needs. Down Syndrome in particular. This thought struck me the other morning in the shower. I forgot it then, but then remembered it while studying for my finals. (Okay, I guess that was totally unnecessary information...hmm...) Anyway:

Why are the lives and stories of people with special needs so attractive and universally heart warming?

Why do so many families of people with disabilities radiate with the joy that that person brings to their life?

I think,

That when the human-ness of a person is limited

The Image of God is usually easier to see.

There is your daily dose of Audrey. Seriously, can you beleive nobody has adopted these kiddos? They're BEAUTIFUL! They're practically edible, just waiting for soembody to hug them so hard they can't breathe!

But seriously, that thought has really helped me to understand a lot of things, because, the hard parts about disability (it is called dis-ability, after all), are effects of the fall, so the brokenness isn't what we celebrate and love.

Its the life.

I just found out that I'll be getting to see a lot more of my little down syndrome buddy (who I really need to give a blog name) this summer. I was planning on keeping his older sister and three older brothers while mom took baby to therapy one morning a week. But his mom said that she worked it out for someone else to come then so that I can babysit when he is home! She is going to teach me how to do some therapy work with him! Ah! I'm SUUUPPPPEEERR excited. He and the other kids are all about the cutest children I have ever met.

So you know what this means for you?

Pictures! Hopefully I'll be able to get quite a few of this little bundle of adorableness!

looklooklooklooklook.....

....who has a new picture!!!!!!

It was taken just this month! My sweet boy look healthy and happy!!!!! I'm unbelievably overjoyed to see him outside in the sunshine playing, without a fence around him, with even the hint of a smile on his precious face! Look at those lovely, wild woods!

The cut on his forehead is almost totally gone, which is wonderful, as children with AIDS have lower immunities, so, obviously, its harder for them to heal.

I love you, Prayer. You look big and strong and clean and happy, even if those pants are weird. I hope April is as lovely there as it is here.

ps. My boy is having a birthday this month. I'm not sure which day, so I just chose April 27 for him. I don't believe that getting older will be a problem for him in the orphanage system in the way that it is for the other RR kids. Since he isn't mentally or physically delayed in any way, I don't have any reason to think that he'd be put in an institution. So, you want to celebrate Prayer's life with me? I think I'm going to make him a cake. I'll send you a cyber piece. :)

???

Sooo, what were we doing?

Several months ago God gave me this idea to have a adoption/orphan care meeting back in November for my church to encourage our body to grow more in the way that we care for orphans.

Of course, my little fundraising, trip planning, vision voicing, high expectations brain immediately said: "Oh, and we'll sell T-shirts! And we'll have it at the church and it will be totally filled up! Maybe it could be a 2-day conference! And we'll have videos! And worship! And it will be the best thing ever!"

"Uh, Audrey? Hello? Aren't you going to listen to what I think you should do? Come down off of your high horse and sit and watch Me work."

Riiiiiiiight.

The Lord used the advice, talents and input of other people in my lovely covenant community to make this event exactly what God wanted for it to be. Small. Organic. Intentional. Relational. Foundational. Simple.

Thank you Lord for not letting me have my way. Thank you Lord for doing this work apart from me and for letting me be just one little tool. Thank you for Tori and her family for their encouragement and willingness to help with food. Thank you Mom for literally forcing me to do parts of this that I was afraid of and for spending hours cleaning the house and cooking delicious Ethiopian food. Thank you Lizzie for being a rock and a comfort. Thank you Mrs. Dokkestul for being the most encouraging, helpful, passionate about ministry person on the planet. Thank you Mr. Nelson for being willing to speak about our church's adoption fund which you helped create and for writing about it. Thank you Pauli for making delicious baklava, for being so fun, and for being willing to write the section on child sponsorship in the pamphlet so last minute. Thank you Mrs. Hensley for being willing and open to share your adoption story and your precious family with us. Thank you Tammy Bass for coming out of your way to people that you don't know to share about your passion and your work with Bethany Christian Services. Thank you Mrs. Smith for being so sweet and willing to help. Thank you Kathryn for bringing your whole family and being ready to speak LAST MINUTE about pro-life advocacy. Thank you thank you everybody.

It was a blast.

And totally do-able. I Am One folks and Next Generation folks-- you guys could start something like this for your church. Its beautiful. And its totally the Lord's work.

Celebrating Sergei!

We raised $60.65 for Sergei this March!!!!!!! Welcoming the spring with new hope for a family for Sergei-boy!

Sergei and I say: "THANK YOU!!!!"

Sergei

Remember him? This little boy as well as his 9 year old sister have changed my perspective about people with special needs and given me a passion for Reece's Rainbow (even though he is biological) and kids with Down Syndrome.

I was blessed beyond measure to snuggle this little cutie again tonight for quite a while. He has grown and gotten so much stronger since about a month ago! I'm proud of him. He was in a super happy and unbelievably adorable mood this evening. He looks a older than this picture too, I wish you could see his ear-to-ear smile.

Tonight, this little man was smothered with kisses and cuddled and admired by about 30 people. He is appreciated and accepted and valued. But what about Sergei?

How amazing would it be to see this little one happy and loved by a family and a covenant community?

Sergei and I have been very blessed by those of you who have responded and wanted to help support his adoption fund. And we'd like to remind you that "we do not loose heart, though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day."

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

21.3.10 Warrior

This is Sergei. He is an orphan with Down Syndrome on Reece's Rainbow. I have committed to being a 21.3.10 warrior for Sergei.

Reece's Rainbow promotes special needs adoption. One of their primary focuses is getting people involved and aware about orphans with down syndrome and providing opportunities to raise support for their adoption funds.


The 21.3.10 project allows a person to commit to a child with Down Syndrome to try to get as many people as possible to give support (specifically 21$) on behalf of specific children.


March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day, to honor the 3rd copy of the 21st chromosome in Down Syndrome. If any of you would like to be a part of my little mission from now 'til March 22 (the day after) to raise funds for sweet Sergei, please email me at ama2@bellsouth.net and check out http://reecesrainbow.com/ to learn more about the 21.3.10 project.

EDIT**** The blue stuff on Sergei's face and arms: its medicine that they put on cuts and stuff in the orphanage. Just so you all know. :)

Love's Lullaby

Lately, I've been fighting back sighs every time I exhale on behalf of the beautiful children on Reece's Rainbow. I'm aching for them, for how much I want to be able to call them my brothers and sisters or one day my children, or watch them thrive adopted by parents in my own home town. How do you deal with such devastating pain (and their pain is so infinitely much greater than any I might feel on their behalf), yet still walk in the joy of the Lord?

I’m singing you a lullaby

That you will never hear

A bleeding love, a longing groan,

Are whispered in your ear

A sighing pain in you and I,

From distant, foreign lands

Are all that’s left from our souls’ cry

“Jesus, move Your hand”

Yet while we sorrow, still we serve

In ways we cannot see

God makes noble what was base

And Sings a comedy

The Voice that made the stars to dance

And brought the sun to life

Can I hear singing over you

all this dark, moonless night

His perfect love relieves your shame

And casts out all your fear

He’s singing you Love’s lullaby,

He makes your ears to hear

Dedicated to: Avery, Mara, Sofia, Maggie, Evan, Martin and so many many others.

It is foolishness to think that perhaps our compassion is superior to the compassion of the One who created it. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

We have no idea...

...the way that God is going to use and bridge relationships in our lives.

Uganda:

was pretty much amazing.

But one of the most amazing things about it I didn't expect in the least. During our week there we visited a little baby cottage called Amani. I had the great priviledge of meeting a sweet little girl there named Josephine. My friend Elle told me that little Josie Love, as she was to be called, was being adopted by another family that lives right in our town! Josie's adoption story is amazing, and I followed her family's blog during the process because I couldn't believe how awesome it was that even though I had never met the family, (and still haven't) God had introduced me to Josie Love half way around the world! Anyway, Josie's big sister, Grace, just wrote an amazing guest post on her mom's blog about what life has been like for her family since Josie has been home. I encourage everyone to go read it at: http://joiningthejourney.blogspot.com/ , and remember that God's plan is so infinetly much bigger and more beautiful than the little peice that we can fit inside our brains.

Psalm 43

"At Thy sacred altar bending, God, my God, my

boundless joy,

Harp and voice, in worship blending,

For Thy praise will I employ.

O my soul, why art thou grieveing?

What disquiets and dismays?

Hope in God;

His help recieving,

I shall yet my Savior praise."

(Text: Psalm 43, The Psalter, 1912; Music: Gregory Wilbur 2008, based on BLAENHAFREN, traditional Welsh melody. C2008 Greyfriars Press. Parish Presbyterian Church)

Hope for "M"

This is "M"

"M" is nine years old and is a orphan. She is mentally delayed and has Apert Syndrome. In March, "M" is going to turn 10. In March, she will loose all chance of ever having a family and will be placed in an orphanage that is unequipped to care for her.

"M" has just over a month of hope for a forever family.

http://reecesrainbow.com/newsite/angelolderchild.html

If your family or a family that you know is looking to adopt, please consider "M". Our Father says: "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." John 14:18.

Prayer

Meet my new favorite 4 year old! (Besides Michael and Julia). I just officially became a prayer warrior through Reece's Rainbow for this sweet little guy. Thank you so much, Anna, for the suggestion!

I'm not enitrely sure if I'm allowed to tell you his name, so here I'm going to call him Prayer. I just recently shared about how the Lord is working in my heart and my community concerning children with special needs. I can't wait to see how God uses Prayer (and prayer) to teach me more about Him. Prayer is HIV positive and he is waiting for a family to bring him home.

I've have been strongly desiring to begin sponsoring a child and I've looked at several different organizations and oppurtunities. However, my parents wisely advised me that I need more financial stability and to already have much of the money saved up before I begin sponsoring.

Then, I heard about the Prayer Warrior project on Reece's Rainbow. It is a HUGE commitment to promise to pray for a child every single day at least until they are adopted, and hopefully after that to. But, financially, it doesn't cost anything. If you are interested in becoming a prayer warrior visit:

http://reecesrainbow.com/newsite/prayerwarriors.html

Please join me in praying for sweet Prayer and the 147 million others.

Perspecitve

Lately, my perspective has changed. A lot of that is due to this amazing family: http://the30dayjourneyforhope.blogspot.com who have two children with down syndrome and one of them is adopted and they are in the process of adopting another child with down syndrome. Also, I have learned a ton from this sweet little guy:



I have loved children and had a passion for orphans for as long as I can remember. However, for my whole life until just a few months ago I had consciously turned my back on the plight of special needs orphans. I didn't want to think that much. I didn't want to feel that pain. I made the excuse that that wasn't my calling--- that wasn't my problem. And there was nothing I could do anyway. I didn't want the work that love takes.


But my merciful Savior has a plan for my life and a plan for my heart. When my love fails, His love is unfailing. He brought the Hollis family to my attention through the blog world and then gave me the opportunity to meet them in person. He brought this precious kid into my church family and caused me to fall in love with him on the day that he was born--- months before I ever met him. My life has been radically changed and blessed. Perfect love casts out fear.


So, my challenge to you would be: if you have, like me, struggled to allow God to bless you through care for special needs orphans (or just special needs people in general), take 3 minutes whether it be at church or school or in your neighborhood to talk to/play with a special needs person in your life that perhaps you have awkwardly avoided before. If you do have a love for special needs orphans, visit http://reecesrainbow.com and donate towards an orphan's adoption fund and pray specifically for the waiting children on that list. Finally, Praise God for His beauty that He gloriously displays in the people that He creates.

Broken

Sometimes, I feel so helpless, so alone, thinking about those children around the world who truly are utterly broken and abandoned. I feel this weight, thinking that it all depends on me, wanting to scream for the church to stand up, to look around, to open their eyes. How can we keep sitting here comfortably? How is the plight of the one lonely, scared, hungry child not our focus all the time? How can we be so ready to get all worked up about the economic decline in our country, when most of us have never missed a meal in our lives? And how can one person make a difference for so many? How can I keep having hope?

Today, my hope is drained.

Today my heart is broken, my hands and feet are screaming to move, to work, to go.

I so rarely fall back to this place of desperation now, that I don't even know what to do about it.

It is so much easier to keep your head in the right place when you're actually on a mission trip or in a third world country, because your calling is right in front of your face all the time - and you are FORCED to be completely dependent on God's mercy.

But that is the problem, isn't it? I've lost hope, because I've ceased to depend upon Him. I feel like a failure because I've got it into my head that it is mine, my duty, my strength. But it isn't. It's not my way or my will or my strength or my hope or my love or my courage--- its His.

And He never fails.

And His plans are never thwarted.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

~2 Corinthians 14:9~

His strength is made perfect in my weakness! How beautiful and relieving! Really, Lord? Your grace is sufficient for me? And not just for me, but for the whole world, every single last child? Blessed be your name!

"...for when I am weak, then I am strong."

October Challenge

My new blog-world friend Molly started a new blog called This Next Generation for and about the young people that God is raising up in the church who are called specifically to loving the orphans. Anyway, her "October Challenge" to get it started off is for us to be purposefully and daily in prayer for widows and orphans around the world. I thought I would expound on that idea by giving a specific example of how we can be praying for them.

I suppose I'll start with a story, what else? I mean, that is really how it all started.


While in Ethiopia, my team and I for just a few short hours visit AHOPE (and HIV/AIDS orphanage) in Addis Ababa. Most of the older children were having school while we were there, so it was mostly all children under the 5 or 6. Some of us took a brief little tour of one of the house where the little kids slept, but it was mostly empty because the kids were outside playing with the rest of our team. Mostly empty.




But...


In one room there was a little child curled up on the bottom bunk of one of the beds, I thought it was a boy, and I thought he was asleep. This wasn't really that surprising, because the further advanced that the HIV is, the more tired and lethargic the kids get. The other thing is, many of them are sick and/or have warts all over them. I absolutely wanted to get out of that depressing room and play with the happy kids outside, and I started to. I'm telling you, I wanted to leave. Right then. But in the Lord's mercy, He held me there and I had the most amazing privilege of getting to stay, to pick up little "S" (she looked about 4 years old), and carry her outside. She was weak and shaky and didn't move her legs quite normally. She didn't smile or talk, just sat in my lap and watched the other kids play while I spoke the little (very very little) Amharic that I knew to her, and some English too. She began warming up, and then I had to set her down to help with a little puppet show that we had prepared for them. It was so much fun, but the very very best part was seeing "S" absolutely shine. She smiled and giggled and even outright laughed while we played with the puppets, colored paper bags, and painted fingernails.

I can't really explain the bond between "S" and me, because I don't understand it. Other than this: the Lord chose for us to spend those few short hours together on that day, on that time, in that way, for His glory, since the beginning of time. He has a purpose for our relationship, even though I'll probably never see "S" again.


The orphanage director's English was very good and he told me that "S" is being adopted!!! He offered to let me write a letter to her family with my information on it so that they could contact me, and he would give it to them when they came to get her. I did, but I haven't heard from her family.


The thing is, since I've been home, I've had a hard time trusting the Lord that He really loves "S" even more than I do. That He really does know what is best for her and will do it. I've been afraid for her health, I've been afraid for her relationship with God. I've been afraid that maybe her family won't care for her, or that they won't raise her up in the church, or that they'll be abusive or neglecting. Or, that the orphanage director was confused, and that they aren't coming at all.

The focus of the October Challenge is to give these precious children, "S" included, who are already the Lord's, over to His care. To pray for them, and to trust Him that He hears and has an even better plan than we do.


I think that there are three ways that we can pray for the orphan crisis: for the children's physical needs, their spiritual needs, and for the church to take action and to follow the Lord where He leads.


Ways to pray for the Orphans
Physical: As you probably all know AIDS is prevalent in almost every country on the world but especially in 3rd world countries where it is taking a staggering tole on the population and leaving so many millions of orphans behind. But God is still faithful and He is still bigger than this horrific pandemic. We can pray that God will have mercy on the children orphaned by AIDS and those infected by HIV. He is faithful through sickness and He is the God who does more than we can ask or imagine. He is a Healing God.


Spiritual: That the Lord will reveal Himself to the HIV positive children of the world and not only draw them to Himself, but use them as mighty tools for His kingdom.


For the Church: Aids is a bad, horrible, terrifying thing. The people who have Aids are not. They are not just a problem to be dealt with, or to be pushed out of our minds and hearts as I tried to do that day at AHOPE. They are children of the Living God. We can pray that God will place the Aids crisis in our faces so that we might be driven to action. My biology teacher is one of the leading DNA specialists working on finding the cure for Aids. He is right in the inner circle of all the newest discoveries and they are so so close! The church can take heart and have hope in that! We can pray for the few Godly scientists in that field that they will remain firm in their faith and determined toward their goal.

"Death is swallowed up in victory

Oh death, where is your victory?

Oh death where is your sting?"

~1 Corinthians 15:55~

"S" and I