Bottles and Bonding, Serving and a Challenge from my heart...

The best advice we ever got regarding adopting a toddler:  bottle feed at bedtime.  Do not let the child hold the bottle, do not listen to the dentist about stopping the bottle, do not feel stupid about this ritual.  I really think this one simple act has fostered more attachment than anything else.  He looks at me with black almond shaped eyes and I say his Korean name over and over.  Sweet!!!

Here is Abby putting together packs of diapers for the Great Diaper Giveaway on Thursday!  I'm so pumped.  My friend, Susie, my sister Melody and my Mother, and I are meeting in front of the WIC office in a dowtown, lower socioeconomic neighborhood to hand out free diaper packs.  I'm practicing my spanish, since that is mainly the ethnic group this place represents:  Panales Gratis, Jesu Cristo te ama! (Free diapers, Jesus loves you).  I'll let you know how it goes.

And, a word on a different subject.  I seem to offend fairly easily when it comes to my passion:  orphans and adoption.  No, everyone isn't called to adopt or be a foster parent.  BUT, I stand adamant that the Bible commands Christians to care for these children.  Yes, every single stinkin Christian is commanded to care for the fatherless.  If you don't believe me, do a Bible study on caring for fatherless, and orphans.  If we all went without fast food, sodas, and treats for a year, how much money could we give to orphaned children in Uganda dying of AIDS?  I follow a blog of a young American woman in Uganda who cares for these children.  One of the boys is 7yrs old, dying of AIDS and weighs 15 pounds.  Yep, 15 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Write me to tell me if you find otherwise.  Need direction in knowing how to help? 

Check out Love Without Boundaries, your local Dept. of Human Services foster program, orphanCare International, Amazima Ministries, Shaohannah's Hope, Food for the Poor, that should give you a good start.

Why it really does matter

Bruce Wilkinson, author of The Prayer of Jabez has a lesser known book called The Dream Giver.  In that book he talks about moving his family to South Africa.  They witness a homeless, orphaned boy dead on a street corner.  Nobody knew who the boy was, nobody claimed him.  In light of that profound experience, he writes..
"Yet it certainly cannot be God's will that any child die alone and abandoned.  Surely God placed a particular set of interests and abilities in one person, somewhere in this world, and put that person in a time and place where Great Things could happen-should have happened- for that boy.  Will you take up the challenge that so many have avoided?"

Photo taken from a waiting child photolisting-this child waits for a family of his own.

It isn't always hearts and flowers

Being a parent is tough!  Really tough.  My neighbor said something today that made me want to post about this.  Mike and I don't have it all figured out.  We struggle.  We get irritable.  I was super impatient with Hudson yesterday.  He is cycling through some attachment stuff this week and it gets really really old.  He cries constantly and follows me around saying "Up."  When he awoke from his nap yesterday, he had a panic attack and hyperventilated.  I was right there!  It isn't like the child sits in daycare 12 hours a day, he goes to a sitter once or twice a week.  The rest of the time, I'm constantly with him.  He has vomited in at least 5 public places because he gets very easily overstimulated and upset.  I don't talk about these kinds of things because most people have the attitude of "Well, you asked to adopt an almost 2 yr old!"  Being an adoptive parent is like being on display all the time.  I feel like I'm continually proving to people that I'm an okay parent.  Then, when things aren't going well, the feelings of inadequacy instensify.  Our nearly 14yr old son is struggling with some stuff.  He isn't perfect! GASP!  We fail as parents sometime.  Anybody watch that new TV show "The Middle"??  It is hilarious!  I swear, we relate so well to them.  Dillon turns 7 the 14th.  Do you understand how incredibly frustrating, heart-breaking, disappointing it is to have prayed for 5 years that God would heal him of his speech/language disorder?  He tried to tell a story about something at school the other day and we had no idea what he was saying.  How terrifying is it that we don't understand what he tells us?  What if something awful happens to him and he can't explain it?  Then, there is the momma guilt of our quite, low-maintenance daughter getting overlooked.  She rarely needs help with homework, she isn't needy and lets face it, the squeeky wheel gets the grease!  Does she feel unloved?  She mentioned the other day that she is tired of kids in her class asking her if she can see when she smiles because her eyes disappear into little crescent moon slits.  Is she struggling with some adoption/racial angst?  AHHH, it all makes me want to run away for a day and sit on the beach in Mexico with a cool pink drink!  So there, you can see that we have struggles like everyone else.  God keep me humble!  This is one reason living outward focused and serving others is sooooooo important--it gets your mind off yourself!!  And, there is ALWAYS someone struggling more.

A Surprise Treat

We woke up this morning to a surprise treat--SNOW!  It is the soft flaky kind that wont stick(a big woe for the school kids--especially since daddy is the principal and makes the call about canceling for weather!!).  We ran around the house waking up the children to come see.  I don't think Hudson was too impressed ;)

Newest Book Challenge

You guys all know how I like to read books that challenge.  The newest one I'm reading is The Outward Focused Life by Dave Workman, pastor of Vineyard Church in Cincinatti.  The subtitle is "Becoming a Servant in a serve-me world."  That says it all.  It isn't a great novel or literature masterpiece.  It is short vignettes about practical ways to be a servant; ways to show God's love in a practical way.    Here is a quote "Here's one difference between religion and relationship with Jesus:  religion can be calculated and measured;  Jesus is extravagant."
There are numerous stories of people doing small, selfless service for others.  For instance, pay for the car behind you in the fast food line and ask the cashier at the window to hand them a little card with your church's info,or maybe it just says "God loves you."  There are stories of handing out free things to homeless people.  It doesn't take an organization to do this, just do it yourself!  So, here is what  my Mother and sisters and I dreamed up while eating breakfast Friday.  We are going to buy big boxes of diapers at Sam's and separate them into stacks of 30.  We will tie them up with Christmas ribbon and place a little card on them that say something about how Jesus loves them.  Then, we are going to park in the WIC(Women's Infants and Children govt aide) parking lot and hand them out.  That's it, no strings, no gospel presentation with tracts---just people giving them a free gift and saying that Jesus loves them and so do we!  I'm so stinkin excited I can barely stand it!!!!!  I'll update you guys after it happens.  We have big plans for next year's Black Friday madness.  We are going to set up a table in Wal-Mart parking lot and give free hot chocolate and donuts to shoppers.  We will have our church's connect card to hand out too.  Yippeeee!  How fun.
Now your turn.  I challenge you to serve others in a practical way.  Take a load of NEW(don't give away your old junk) hats and gloves to an intersection in the city and hand them out.   After you've done so, email me or leave a comment to let me know what you did.
Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Hudson, and Thanksgiving Recap

Happy 2nd Birthday to Hudson!  We almost feel like you have been here forever--even though it has only been 11 weeks!  You are worth it, you are gifted, you are adorable, you make us laugh, you are special and God has an amazing plan for your life.  You had to wait for a family becuase we just weren't ready for you(God was working on us for a while!).  We are totally honored that our Heavenly Father picked us to be your family.  We love you!  And, as we celebrate your birthday, we remember you birthmother in Korea.  We are praying for her to have peace, healing, and to somehow know that you are well taken care of and happy. 

Thanksgiving was great!  We spent Thursday at my parent's home with a crowd of 37--including 3 international college students--2 from the Congo and 1 from India. The kids played outside all day.  Pictured above is my 94yr old grandmother holding my 3months old beautiful, blue-eyed neice.  Can you imagine how precious it is to have your 94yr old grandparents around??  And, their minds are sharp as tacks.  Grandad told us a story about selling a cow for 3 cents a pound and putting his money a savings account.  Then, the stock market crashed and the banks closed.  Amazing memories we are privelaged to hear!  That evening we went to Mike's mother's home.  You should have seen Hudson put on the charm.  He was saying "Na Na".  Of course, this thrilled Nana!!  He is really starting to like her a lot ;)  The next morning MIke and I  shopped Black Friday at 6am with my mother and sisters.  We had a blast and brainstormed random ministry ideas.  Which segways into my next book for you guys AND put it into action ideas, but today I'll focus on the last 2 days recap.  Watch for it tomorrow!!

We went to Mike's grandmother's sweet home in the country.  We LOVE to go there.  It is like therapy for us!  She cooked an old fashioned Thanksgiving meal and we ate way too much.  Mike, Carter, and Uncle Craig had "man time" and shot the gun at pumpkins around the tank(for non-Texans, that is a pond).  That afternoon they had an early birthday party for Dillon.  His birthday is December 14 and usually gets merged with Christmas activities.  He opened presents and instead of a cake(which he doesn't eat much of), we made ice cream sundaes.  We put his 7 candles in the ice cream.  It was really cute.  Oh, a funny on him.  Grandma 's gift had pink and orange dotted tissue paper.  When Dillon opened the box, he pulled the tissue paper and said "I no like pink paper!"  That is one of the funny aspects of his special needs.  He doesn't give a hoot about social rules of niceties.  He is polite and sweet, but you always know exactly where he stands!!!

We ended the holiday with Carter playing his guitar, the girls(my 2 neices and Abby) singing and then the silly dancing broke out, complete with Alyssa and Dillon doing a Dancing With The Stars routine!!  What a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Oh how we are blessed.  Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure it is all real. 

Amazing testimony for parents/teachers of special needs kids

Listen to this lady's testimony. You will be so encouraged. As a momma of a child with special needs, I am super pumped to keep praying for my Dillon. Like her, he has a thick file of testing, diagnosis, evaluations, and educational goals. No matter what those files say, God has a great plan for Dillon and we believe He will use his life to bring great glory to Himself! Watch the video and then re-read Psalm 139 verse 14.