Why International?

From the very beginning of our journey, there were different questions or comments that came up over and over again along the way. One of them was, "Why do you want to go adopt all the way across the world when there are kids right here in America that need homes?" Most of the time, I believe this was simply asked out of genuinecuriousity and not with ill-intent. Either way, it came up again today so Ithought I would take a moment to respond to this. It is a good question for which there is not one simple answer, but I will share my thoughts. First, I think when people ask this question, there is an assumption that adoption was ONLY a choice of the adoptive family. This fails to recognize a basic Christian principle that God has prepared in advance good works for those who are now followers of him. He has a plan for each of our lives and it was authored by Him. So in essence, while we make the choice to adopt, we are also recognizing that He has something in mind, and it then becomes a journey to discover Him and that plan. It is obvious that His plan for some families is to seek to adopt here in the US, and some overseas. So ultimately, I think that question should be directed to Him and He would welcome it :-) My second response to this is this: recently, Haiti experienced a terrible tragedy. The earthquake that hit completely devastated this country in so many ways. When news of the devastaion hit, Americans and mandy other people in nations abroad joined together in an effort to respond with all kinds of aid for these broken and suffereing people. You didn't hear people say, "Well, we have homeless, hungry people here in the US (or Great Britain, etc) , shouldn't we feed them and take care of all of them before we run off to Haiti?" No. We heard of people in desperate need and we responded to meet that need. See, we are made in the image of God and are thus, His image-bearers.
As the bearers of His image, we will be sensitive to those in need, no matter where they live, just as He is. In many cases of overseas adoption, this is what has happened. Someone hears of a situation of an individual child, or of crises in an area, and are broken and moved to respond with the same love, compassion, and care our Papa God shows to all who are broken and in need. His loving arms reach all over the globe and show no favoratism or partiality in regards to race or nationality, so why, then, if we are made in His image, made to do what we see the Father do, being lead by His Spirit, would we not do the same thing? Even from a political standpoint, where would the world be if America had never looked out for those vulnerable people in other nations and reached out to them, despite that we haven't fixed every single problem in our country first? Simply put, I just don't think love has borders. I believe in reaching out to those in need here, which many, many are doing, and those in other nations. As believers, we are called to make disciples of all nations. Jesus called us to the ends of the earth. I see this as just one snapshot of how that call is fufilled.

We MUST do something...

I recently watched a video on the church's response the the orphan and the widow, in it, they were talking about how terrorists are now starting to target orphans, abducting them to train them up to be terrorists. Is there a more clear picture of the intentions of the enemy than this? The enemy is an opportunist and wants to take the most innocent and vulnerable of our society and do what he does best....steal, kill, and destroy. He is doing this in very overt and clear ways. What happens to those who do not get adopted? For many of them, their lives end up on a path of complete and total destruction. Sex-slavery, prostitution, drugs, child-soldiers (who, by the way, are often sodomized and infected purposefully with HIV upon arrival at these soldier camps), terrorists, alcoholism. Where the church does not step in, the enemy will and the results will be devastating and not just to these children, but to society. Contrast this to what happens to these same children when a loving, Christian family adopts and or takes responsibility for these children, then they are given the opportunity to get to know the One who loves them, made them, and has GOOD plans for their lives, not just here on earth, but for all of eternity. This is quite a contrast. It is the contrast we all face as humans spiritually as we chose to accept Christ or not. I know not EVERY believer is called to participate in EVERY ministry that has been formed. I personally don't want anyone to feel guilted into serving the Father in any way. However, there are certain things that scripture teaches are things that we should all be doing, things we don't need to wait for God to "call" us to. My job as a believer is never to convict anyone of anything. The Holy Spirit is fully capable of executing this job with grace and perfection. But, I cannot read the facts and statistics and not raise my voice in response. So, I am going to give you a list of scriptures that outline how we as the church are called to respond to the widow and the orphan. The way this response is explained in scripture denotes provision, concern, and consideration that was to be consistently incorporated as a way of life into the lives of God's people, not just a once in a while or and occasional when I feel like it type of response. Here are some of the references: Exodus 22:22-24, Deuteronomy 10:18, 14:29, 16:11, 16:14, 24:17, 24:19, 24:20, 24:21, 26:12, 26:13, 27:19; Job 24:9, 29:12, 31:16-18,21-22, Psalm 10:14,17-18, 68:5, 146:9, Proverbs 23:10-11, Isaiah 1:17, Jeremiah 5:28, 7:5-7, 22:3, Hosea 14:3, Zechariah 7:10, Malachi 3:5, John 14:18, Romans 8:23, 9:4, Galations 4:5, Ephesians 1:5, James 1:27 . Herein lies not only evidence that we are called to respond, all of us, but moreover and more importantly, look at how these scriptures reveal an intimate and precious portion of God's heart. God gave his most precious gift in Christ SO THAT WE MIGHT BE ADOPTED into his family. Clearly, adoption is centered in the very heart of God himself. To care for the orphan is to journey to get to know this portion of God's heart in a more clear and intimate way. I also have observed a wave going through the church (and also non-believers....for he reigns down on the just and the unjust) that He is burdening people in mass numbers to mobilize on behalf of the orphan and the widow to care for them, through MANY avenues, including adoption, foster care, sponsership, etc.... There are multiple ways to care for them. However, each of us needs to ask the spirit what that looks like in our individual lives, but rest assured, we are called to do something, not just look the other way. Jesus is always full of grace and full of truth. There is never a compromise of one for the other, so I ask and pray that my words will come across in the same way. But I do sense an urgency in my spirit for these precious children especially in light of what is also mobilizing against them. If you feel burdened, pray, press in to Him and listen, go to that meeting, make that phone call, start somewhere and God will begin to guide your steps, close and open doors. If you don't feel a concern, pray God gives you one. Ask that you might feel just a drop of what He does towards these children. I know GOd has to continue to soften my heart towards the things that He values all the time. Don't be afraid, for He will provide for you and in the process, you discover the greatest reward of getting to know Him more, trust him more and depend on him more. Please, Father, move in the hearts of your children, mobilizing them on behalf of the fatherless so that there won't be any children who don't know they are loved, and cared for, and made for a purpose.

What is the hub of your wheel?

God often puts pictures in my head to help explain truth to me. I guess I am a bit more impacted by visual images than just by words. One of the clearest pictures once was a wagon wheel. He was explaining to me that in our faith, Jesus represents the center hub and all of the spokes represented the life or expressions of our faith that flow out of the hub. In other words, the righteous acts, the good works, they are all centered on Christ himself and flow out from Him. I believe that all things we are called to whether it be adoption, or helping the homeless, or ministering to people of other faiths, that there is one ultimate unifying purpose. It is the same purpose for which God sent Christ, made the earth, and does all of what He does. It is the revelation of Himself and by that I don't just mean what He does, but the very essence of who He is. Whether He is proclaiming it to the world, or in a very intimate personal way to one person, His heart is the same. He is revealing Himself in all his glory, goodness, strength, grace and love to all of the universe. Knowing that helps me to stay centered. There is singular pursuit in the depths of my heart and that is to know more of Him and ultimately be able to help others see Him in their lives, too. I believe He is what our hearts long for more than anything else. I truly just love him and who He is. He is so gracious and patient with me. He doesn't get angry and mad at me when I make mistakes or am slow to learn as I often am. Because of how sweet He is to me, I just want to be with Him. He is the safest place my heart knows. He is FULL of grace and deals with his creation in the most graceful ways. It is always good to remember your chains. Remember where you were before God called you to some form of service. Remember the fears, the uncertainties, even the resistance. Remember the grace with which He called you to this. We are called to be no less graceful in our service to Him. We are ultimately here to reveal Him, in the fullest way we know how to. Whether that be through adoption or what ever you have been called to we are here to show His heart to the world. Having said that, I am here to say that our pursuit to adopt began as a graceful invitation. He pricked my heart as He opened my eyes the plight of the children of China many years ago. Later, He worked in my husband's heart to give us unity about it. He later provided the resources, the direction and the grace to calm all our fears in the process. He worked to bring us to a deeper place in our relationship with Him. We were painfully inadequate and sometimes downright afraid and unwilling. That is how each of us begin our journeys. We have nothing to bring to the table. God does it. So my hope is that through my story you can see God's faithfulness. How mighty He is. I hope you can see his sweet heart for the fatherless and how he goes to great lengths to show his love to them to make them feel wanted, accepted, and loved. I want our story to inspire you to trust Him more. If He is stirring your heart to adopt, just know that He will provide for all your needs: emotionally, physically, and in every other way. And in the process you will be blessed to know a deeper part of His heart. God is moving in HUGE ways right now to place the fatherless in homes and to revive the church so that we see our call to care for them. He is not only pouring out his heart and passion for this but releasing resources for it as well. He is just calling you to join Him! It is His call, His work, we are just blessed to be vessels for Him.

What other choice do we have?

Dreams. Dreams are SO powerful. Nothing can make one feel like they are riding on the highest cloud or crashing to the depths of the ocean floor than a dream realized or one crushed. I have had both. Looking in the eyes of my daughter, is one realized. Then there are those waiting on the wind. Ones I don't know if will ever be fulfilled. I do know this, I cannot put my hope in them. Maybe there is someone reading this with the dream to adopt. Maybe you even feel like you heard from the Lord on this, yet, the doors just don't seem to open. Or maybe your dream is something different. It doesn't really matter what that is. What does matter is what you do with it, or rather, to whom you take it to. Standing on the edge of your desires, what choice is there but to completely abandon yourself to the one who made you? I love and am passionate about adoption. I hope one day to adopt more God (and husband :-) willing, but I am even more passionate about seeing God become bigger and more real in peoples lives. I was born and raised in a Christian home, which I am grateful for, but it presents its challenges in the way of not reducing your faith to a religion. I got to a point in my life where I was SO tired of religion and yet I knew there HAD to be more. Let me tell you, there was. And there HE was. When I got tired of trying to DO, I came to HIM and asked Him to show me more. He hasn't stopped showing me more since. He wasn't kidding when He told Abraham that HE was the great reward. These were his words AFTER he began to spell out all that HE would do through Abraham....He still said HE was the great reward. The promise is not the reward. The adoption is not the reward. The dream is not the reward. HE is the very great reward. The struggle for me is to not forget that and begin to think that I must acquire the promises (blessings) of GOd in order to be fufilled. Right now I am in the midst of wrestling with that very thing. I cannot make things happen and don't want to . Sometimes I just want to throw in the towel because it is too hard to want something and not be sure that I am going to get it. I want to let go and hold on all at the same time. I guess I am coming to that familiar place that I have been so many times and realizing what choice do I have but to lay it all at the feet of my precious savior who has over and over and over again proven his love, faithfulness and good intentions toward me. What other good choice is there?

Amused...

Life around here, despite the cold, snow, and now the Colts losing the Super bowl, has been good. I am SO loving seeing my daughter begin to be amused by her siblings, and her parents :-) She has started to laugh more and she smiles all the time! She took five or six steps on her own this past week and is SO ready to run she can't stand it! I love that! It has been a challenge over the last few months, and I have had many moments of just being uncertain as to how she was going to adjust and wondering if she was truly happy, so it is SUCH a blessing to see her truly enjoy herself. I was telling a friend today about how much I have learned about bonding. It has really helped me feel bonded to her as she has begun to respond with joy and amusement to us. I had the revelation today that while God always unconditionally loves us, I imagine that He feels closer to us when we are able to receive His love and we respond to it. As much as there has been divine intervention in our adoption process and certain undeniable evidence of God's hand and how He has purposed for this child to be ours, I think I have been surprised at just the humanity involved. Building relationships in general just take time. You don't become best friends with someone the very first time you meet them. There has to be mutual affinity for one another and some sort of investment of time and emotion to build that. Even though there are many things about adoption that are different, so many of the same principles apply. I think my expectations/desires where just a little unrealistic for the time given. Hind sight is 20/20 though :-) It has been good to have people to talk to about this along the way, which I would encourage others in this process to do, and or seek out if need be. Adoption is amazing, and so much of it has been a beautiful, wonderful, experience, but there are challenges as well, and if you aren't careful to take those before God, and bring them out in the open with people who can give wise counsel and speak truth, the enemy can definitely have a hay-day with that. I am sure more challenges are to come, but praise God for a lesson learned :-)

Down for the Count...

Well, it hit today. I knew I couldn't avoid it for forever, it has been at least two or three years since I had a stomach virus, and it made a visit today. Praise GOd, and I mean that in ALL sincerity that it was only about 12 hours. But it was 12 hours of praying for many family members and friends in between lifting up prayers for Jesus to come back! So, since I have been laying in bed for the last twelve hours, I now am feeling SO much better (nothing like a BIG glass of gingerale!) However, my new burst of energy is hitting me at 1245 AM. SO, I am checking blogs, email, facebook, and the like and trying to catch up on all my people. I may even have to go and take some pictures of my house as I have NO idea what has been happening today! I do remember at one point seeing my little ones with a full bag, Costco size, of shredded cheese walking around the house at one point. I rememeber trying to mumble something to them from the couch, but it was to no avail. I think I heard my husband later when he got home trying to get my eight year old to vaccuum. I just laid there and told myself that there isn't anything that can't be replaced or fixed later. Ha! I also got the privelidge (why can't I spell that word!!!?) in all my time of praying for my sweet sister in law Karen and her husband today as they were in Russia standing before a judge in order to take custody of their son! God had some mountains to move there, (see snyderfamilyadoption.blogspot.com) and in true-saviour-of-the-universe and Lord-of-all-fashion, He did so! SO I am anxiously awaiting the day they can bring him home to his forever family! I laugh at my own life today and the fact that I at one point I apologized to my sweet Mia for the crazy life i have brought her too and assured her that it is indeed a better life despite what today looked like! I love to see God do God sized things and am so thankful for ANOTHER opportunity to watch this! (Also glad it was from the side lines this time! )

It's never like I think....

So many people have asked about how Mia is doing and adjusting. Over the last two months, a couple of things have continued to be clear as I have fielded and pondered that question. She is doing amazingly well! It has been myself and my husband who have needed the most help :-) I was talking to my husband's sister who is in the process of adopting from Russia right now, and she was asking about how to prepare for her little guy coming home and whether or not she should re-read some of the books or what not that were required reading for the adoption process. In all honesty, I told her no. I began to think about how the one who has had the most adjusting to do is me. My husband and I are blessed to have a friend/counselor who is a "father" of sorts in our lives who gives us wise counsel and meets with us when we need it. We both have had issues come to the surface since we have brought our sweet daughter home. We were able to meet with him and talk about some of these things. Time after time as he spoke of God's heart for us and how it is to be revealed through us to our kids, I was convicted at the apparent self-centeredness, need to control things, and just plain lack of unconditional love that I was seeing come to the surface in my life and all the ugly things that were coming out of me as a result of these unsanctified places in my heart. It was at this point that I began to think about the question regarding Mia's adjustment and realized that one of God's purposes in this adoption has been to refine my own heart and purify these things. I told my sister in law, that instead of trying to focus on all the things that could be issues with your child, instead, ask Him to begin to prepare her heart for what He is going to be doing in her. Don't get me wrong, it is good to have made yourself familiar with the "maybes" and to have access to these resources if needed, but for the most part, we, the parents, are the ones who have accrued decades worth of baggage, compared to the few months or years these little ones have been alive!

I love that God does not leave us as we are. He is not content to save us and let us continue to walk in our sin and selfishness! Praise you Father that you are not only willing but able to deliver us from ourselves! I am excited as I see us beginning to change and it is freeing us to just enjoy our sweet Mia. She is SUCH a delight! Her smile is so precious and I live seeing her just thrive and grow as she basks in our love and delight just as I am growing and changing under the smile and delight of my Father.