Adoption Cookbooks Are Available -- ORDER NOW!

We are proud to announce that our adoption-themed cookbook is completed! 

Order your copy  now!  

Purchases are made through Paypal. Use the button in the box to the left. 

A donation of $20 or more will get your copy delivered to your door!  

(Cookbooks will be shipped in July; please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery)

This book contains:

• 11 stories of families touched by adoption, including adoptees, birthparents, and adoptive parents, 
• 115 of their favorite family recipes, including many ethnic foods that represent the countries and cultures of both the adoptees and their parents,
• color photos 
• a spiral binding with laminated cover

We are sure you will want a copy for yourself and several copies to give as gifts!  

And we would appreciate you spreading the word to your friends and relatives that support adoption and orphan care about our blog and our cookbook.  

Thank you for supporting us!

Because We Can

Today was one of those days when I allowed a stray thought -- a very sane one, actually -- to visit my mind.  I considered the thought that some days there is/are already enough __________ (insert word such as craziness, disciplinary issues, teenage attitude, busy-ness, shoes, laundry, etc.) in this family, so why in the world would we purposely ask for more by adopting children into this household???  Are we crazy or what?  And do we have enough seats in the van or will we need to trade for a larger one?

Then I am reminded that God didn't tell us ahead of time what our parenting was going to require and we were still excited to be parents anyway, no matter what was ahead.  Good days and hard days come to everyone.  I've been reading in several of the books and materials recommended to adoptive parents about all the behaviors we should be ready to face.  Frankly, many of them are issues we address with our biological children, and many of the behaviors are rooted in our sinful souls.  I'm not going to get into the adoptee behavior issues any deeper here because I know many troubling behaviors stem from the sinful behaviors of those who were supposed to love and care for these children, leading them to God.  The problems and solutions are very complex.  My point is that we HAVE been thinking about these things and are not going into adoption with any romantic notions.

So the big question is WHY?  Why would we adopt?  I read this post on another adoptive father's blog today, and he summed it up quite well:

We are doing this because we are compelled to. There are two orphans in this world who need a mom and dad.

We are doing this because we can.

Yes, there are many other things we can do that would be much easier on us. We could spend more time and money on ourselves. We can do short term mission trips with the intent of easing our conscience and longing for something greater. We could keep going to church on Sunday mornings convinced that when Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow him, he meant sitting in a pew at church.

But life is not about arriving at death safely. Life is about giving it all. It is about saying thanks to our God who gave us all by giving everything we can for the good of his kingdom.

We will find room for our soon-to-be children in our lives. We will find room for them in our homes. We will try our best to cram them all in (our minivan).

We have already found room for them in our hearts.

We choose this for ourselves because we choose to love, and we are going to let God fill in the rest.

One of the comments following this post makes it even simpler:  they need someone, and none of the reasons that I can come up with to exempt myself ever seem good enough.

(See the full post at the Rainbowkids website or at  http://www.jeremystatton.com/). 

I really couldn't have said it better myself.  That is exactly what is in my heart.  We are willing, and so we keep walking ahead through open doors in faith that God will provide for us and that He is using us to provide for an orphan or two.   God did crazy things for us, and now we want to return the love and do crazy things for Him.  

I have yet to read any exemptions in my Bible for those who do not want to help the widow and the orphan.  Why would I be the first?  God has not forgotten them and I will not either.  Of course, I don't have to adopt, but I want to.  I'm not too old or young, too inexperienced, too unhealthy, or whatever.  I don't have the financial resources maybe, but I will do it in place of someone who has the resources and can't adopt because they ARE one of those things.  I've always been a hand-on person, not a sit-in-the-pew person.

Everyone has a part to play in fulfilling God's command and design to provide for the orphans of this world.  What is your part?  

Stuck in the mud

I hasn't rained much lately in our corner of Indiana, although the corn is already knee-high a month before the fourth of July.  But it seems like there's a deluge of expenses already piling up - both adoption and non-adoption -- making us feel like we're spinning our tires in the mud. We have three important expenses due for our adoption before we can keep moving forward.  We also have three important irregular expenses at home to take care of as soon as possible. It's hard to decide what to pay and what to wait on when nothing can really wait.

Let's face it -- 30+ thousand dollars is a lot of money.  It can buy a nice car, make a down payment on a house, put a child through a year of college.   It's an amount that, in our limited resources, we will never be capable of supplying by any of our own means. But what seems huge to us may seem small to you. Or you may be in a position to offer a sacrifice to the Lord on our behalf.

Will you consider adding your gift to our Milestone 1 account in the box to the left?  We know God has gifted so many of our friends (and even strangers) with both a desire to bless those in need and the resources to accomplish the blessing.  We also know that blessing is returned to the giver like bread tossed into the waves (Eccl. 11:1).

We are trusting God to provide.  Watch with us as He does so that His name will be praised.

"Do it afraid"

Not too long after I wrote that entry in my journal (see my previous post), I saw a Facebook post from a wonderfully talented friend of mine -- Rick Florian.  If you know Christian music from the 80s, you'll recognize his name as the lead singer of Whiteheart. A few years ago, Rick came back to visit Taylor University (we are both alumni) where we crossed paths in the Campus Store where I happen to work, and I was privileged to meet his wife and their young daughter who was adopted from China.  The Florian family has since also adopted an adorable boy from China.  Anyway, getting back to my point, Rick recently sang a duet of the title song with Elizabeth South on her album "Do It Afraid".  Not only did I really enjoy hearing Rick sing again, but the song was a very appropriate antidote to the fear about adopting I have some days.

You can see the music video and listen here: Elizabeth South & Rick Florian sing "Do It Afraid"

There's no sense in being so concerned about outcomes that I can't move forward.  No sense in worrying about tomorrow when today is where I live.  I am reminded of 2 Timothy 1:7, which says, "for God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (KJV) The word "fear" is sometimes translated "timidity" which really describes what that feeling of being afraid does to you -- makes you hold back when you should be striding forward.  We're supposed to act like the complete opposite of afraid.  Notice I didn't say "feel like".  I don't know that we're always supposed to feel like we can make things happen or feel loving or not feel confused. I sure don't.  We acknowledge our inadequacies so that He can be strong in our weakness. Then, we are supposed to act like God is giving us the power, love and sound mind to fulfill His purposes and watch it become truth.

So today, join me in acting out Paul's advice to Timothy. Get beyond your fear. Go forward, persevere, do it afraid, but know that we have no reason to be afraid because we are backed up by God's great power, love and wisdom. How will your day look different with this attitude?